It's Time For A Change In Dealing With Sudan - Congressman Wolf

Washington, DC — Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), long recognized in Congress for his work on Sudan, today called for a change in how the Obama Administration deals with Khartoum.

In a press conference on Capitol Hill, Wolf said it is time for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to re-take control of U.S. policy involving Sudan.
Below is a copy of a letter Wolf sent President Obama urging a change in course in dealing with Khartum. A copy of Wolf's statement at the press conference follows the letter.

Dear Mr. President:

"If President Obama is ever going to find his voice on Sudan, it had better be soon." These were the closing words of New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof two weeks ago. I could not agree more with his assessment of Sudan today. Time is running short. Lives hang in the balance. Real leadership is needed.

Having first travelled to Sudan in 1989, my interest and involvement in this country has spanned the better part of 20 years. I've been there five times, most recently in July 2004 when Senator Sam Brownback and I were the first congressional delegation to go to Darfur.

Tragically, Darfur is hardly an anomaly. We saw the same scorched earth tactics from Khartoum in the brutal 20-year civil war with the South where more than 2 million perished, most of whom were civilians. In September 2001, President Bush appointed former Senator John Danforth as special envoy and his leadership was in fact instrumental in securing, after two and a half years of negotiations, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), thereby bringing about an end to the war. I was at the 2005 signing of this historic accord in Kenya, as was then Secretary of State Colin Powell and Congressman Donald Payne, among others. Hopes were high for a new Sudan. Sadly, what remains of that peace is in jeopardy today. What remains of that hope is quickly fading. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

DARFUR IN THE WAKE OF SUDAN’S ELECTIONS

What do Sudan’s recent elections mean for the people of Darfur? In all likelihood, they augur increasing violence and deteriorating humanitarian conditions. There has already been a sharp increase in military activity by the Khartoum regime and its Janjaweed militia allies over the past four months, particularly in the Jebel Marra and Jebel Moon regions, where rebel presence is most significant. All signs since the elections suggest an even greater increase in violence. And as has been the case since the beginning of the genocidal counter-insurgency effort that began in earnest in 2003, civilians are the ones bearing the brunt of renewed attacks by the regime. Numerous reports come from The Sudan Tribune and Radio Dabanga, both of which have extensive contacts on the ground; additional reporting comes from Darfuris in the diaspora who remain in close touch with their families, villages, and important leaders in the region.

One ominous result of the electoral triumph by Omar al-Bashir and his National Congress Party is that negotiations with Darfur’s rebels will almost certainly become more unyielding. Claiming the mantle of national authority on the basis of April’s hopelessly fraudulent elections, al-Bashir and his security cabal will give less and demand more of the rebel negotiators, who themselves seem to be weakening politically. With the rapprochement between Khartoum and N’Djamena and the associated loss of military might, the Justice and Equality Movement, or JEM, has lost significant negotiating strength in Doha. (Chad has long been the mainstay for JEM logistics, weapons, and safe haven.) The various factions that make up the newly formed Liberty and Justice Movement have yet to prove themselves to be a cohesive force, either on the ground or in the talks in Doha, which seem to be withering. JEM formally suspended participation in the Doha process on May 4 because of ongoing military actions against them, despite the February 23 cease-fire signed by Khartoum—only the latest that the regime has failed to honor. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Jewish community must keep its attention focused on Darfur

In this era of the 24-hour-a-day news cycle, media outlets are always looking for the next big story. An earthquake happens; there is 24-hour saturation coverage, and then a few days later (if that), it’s on to the next big story. The crisis of today, whether it is a war or a plume of volcanic ash from Iceland, can be gone tomorrow. Some issues, however, must not be allowed to slip away. Some things are just too important.

The ongoing genocide in Darfur is one of those issues. After intense international pressure, a peace agreement was signed to end the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. One of the elements of that agreement was the provision for free and fair elections in that country. Those elections took place last month. They were not, however, free or fair.

The government of President Omar al-Bashir conducted a campaign of intimidation and outright fraud. This is not surprising given his history. Why should anyone expect a leader who has organized genocide against the inhabitants of a region in his own country to then turn around and permit fair elections?

The Sudanese government, organizers of the suffering and genocide, is doing nothing to change its behavior. It is time once again to apply all possible pressure to put an end to that horrible situation. Read more >>>>>

Sudan 101: Why is President Bashir accused of war crimes in Darfur?

By Scott Baldauf, Staff writer

Khartoum, Sudan
President Omar al-Bashir is accused of organizing a war against non-Arab rebels in the Darfur region, who were protesting Darfur’s neglect by Mr. Bashir's Arab-dominated government.
In this war, his military and political agents in the region are accused of recruiting Arab nomadic tribes into militias called the janjaweed. These nomads attacked Darfuri farmers, who tended to come from non-Arabic speaking tribes.

The United Nations estimates that some 300,000 of these non-Arabs were killed.

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and is taking a second look at charges of genocide.

To prove genocide, the ICC prosecution has to prove that Bashir and his agents intended to kill off an ethnic group, in the same way that Adolf Hitler had a specific plan to eliminate Europe’s Jews in World War II and that Rwandan Hutu leaders intended to kill off the Tutsi minority in the spring of 1994. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>

Inside a Darfur refugee camp

By Hiroyuki Saito

KASS, Sudan — Hundreds of Darfuris fled violence in their home villages to seek shelter in Hass, a camp for displaced people. But they found little peace.

In February, gunmen riding horses and camels invaded, raiding the thatched huts and seizing people without explanation, according to the displaced residents. The invaders beat people, tied them up and pushed them in the gutters while making their way through the camps.

Eighteen residents of the camp were taken captive, including Sheik Sidig, the chief of the attacked camps. The prisoners were ordered to pay “diya,” also known as blood money, for a Sudanese police officer who was killed at the camp two days earlier.

According to the locals, blood money often plays a significant role as a form of compensation to solve intertribal issues, particularly murder cases like this.

“When I got out of my place, I found the streets filled with gunmen. I ran into a man, who said to me, ‘Your people killed someone and we want you to pay the blood money,’” said Sheik Sidig. Read full story >>>>>>>>>>

US committed to bringing Sudan president to justice: Clinton

WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday the United States was committed to bringing Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir to justice.

"I can't take anything seriously that Beshir says," Clinton told NBC television's "Meet the Press" program.

"He is an indicted war criminal. The United States is very committed to seeing him brought to justice."

Beshir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Darfur, was re-elected on Monday with 68.24 percent of the vote, the country's first multi-party poll in 24 years.

But the credibility of the election was undermined by opposition boycotts, allegations of fraud and questions from international monitors about transparency.

Clinton said "it was by any measure a flawed election.

"There were many, many things wrong with it," she explained. Read more >>>>>

Wanted, Sudan’s President Can’t Escape Isolation

By MARLISE SIMONS

PARIS — On the international summit circuit, no one can clear a room more quickly than Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

Leaders have maneuvered to stay out of photographs with him, dashed away from an official lunch to avoid sitting next to him and gone as far as canceling an entire international meeting to keep Mr. Bashir at bay.

The evasions are all part of the diplomatic dance that began a year ago when the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued a global arrest warrant for Mr. Bashir, citing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, for his role in the bloodshed in the western Darfur region of Sudan. The warrant, scoffed at by the Sudanese president, has also set off private and not-so-private scoffing at the suspect in various capitals.

The latest snub has come from Paris, which has plainly told Mr. Bashir that he is not on the guest list for the African-French summit meeting in Nice, on the French Riviera, on May 31. “Sudan is invited,” a French Foreign Ministry official said, “but President al-Bashir was asked to designate a representative.” Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Omar al-Bashir's re-election in Sudan is a farce

By Louise Roland-Gosselin

Omar al-Bashir has been re-elected in the first "multiparty" elections in Sudan for over 20 years. Many had hoped these elections would hail the beginning of a process finally bringing peace and justice to Sudan. Instead, they have proved to be nothing more than a way for Bashir to entrench his control and to become the first head of state to be elected while facing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity from the international criminal court (ICC).

To those of us who have worked in Sudan, Bashir's conduct is entirely unsurprising. As a master of manipulation, rigging elections presents no great challenge. But what is endlessly frustrating is the role that the international community plays in legitimising this behaviour, once again choosing to believe that Bashir will "come right" despite all the evidence to the contrary. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Odd practices in Sudanese elections 2010 I

Odd practices in Sudanese elections 2010

ICC Prosecutor condemns Sudan noncooperation

By MIKE CORDER

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court prosecutor wants judges to report Sudan to the U.N. Security Council for refusing to hand over a government minister and a militia leader accused of atrocities in Darfur.

Luis Moreno Ocampo said in a written request to the court's judges publicized Thursday that Sudan is refusing to arrest Humanitarian Affairs Minister Ahmed Harun and Janjaweed militia leader Ali Kushayb.

The court ordered the men arrested in 2007 on 51 charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

It is unclear what effect — if any — the request will have on Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. He also is wanted by the court for allegedly ordering atrocities in Darfur and has repeatedly refused any cooperation.

Moreno Ocampo said that Al-Bashir's regime "continues to commit crimes, promotes and protects the persons sought by the Court, and harasses all persons who are considered to be in favor of justice." Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>.

Sudan Vote Lagged International Norms, Observers Say

By Maram Mazen

April 17 (Bloomberg) -- Sudan’s first multiparty elections in 24 years did not reach international standards, European Union observers and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said.

Sudan yesterday started counting ballot papers of the election for presidency, parliament and regional offices, after five days of voting that ended April 15.

“The elections did not meet international standards yet,” even as they have paved the way for democratic transformation, Veronique De Keyser, head of the European Union’s Election Observation Mission in Sudan told reporters in Khartoum today as she presented a preliminary report.

The elections were marred with boycotts by the major opposition parties who accused President Umar al-Bashir’s National Congress Party of restricting free speech, using state resources for his campaign and intimidating opponents. The boycotts reduced competition in the north, the statement said. Ruling parties in northern and southern Sudan dominated the elections, as they benefited from unequal resources, it said.

“It is obvious the elections will fall short of international standards,” Carter told reporters today in Khartoum. “Sudan’s obligations for genuine elections, in many respects the people’s expectations, have not been met,” he said. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Rights Activists Describe Sudanese Elections as Rigged, say U.S. Not Tough Enough

Human rights activists sharply criticized the Obama administration’s efforts in Sudan Wednesday and described the ongoing Sudanese elections as rigged and a sham.

John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project at the Center for American Progress, says, “As bad as they are, the elections are a real diversion from the issues that are going to determine whether Sudan goes back to full-scale national war or not.”

He describes U.S. diplomatic efforts in Sudan leading up to the elections as “amateur hour,” saying the Obama administration has failed to address “multiple crises.”

Get tough

“By not responding forcefully or robustly,” he says, “to the multiple violations of the electoral process and the other things that are happening in Sudan, the U.S. sends a very important signal that emboldens the (ruling) National Congress Party in Khartoum and it demoralizes the Sudanese people.” Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

European Union Pulls Observers out of Darfur

The European Union (EU) on April 7 pulled its election observers from Darfur amid security concerns.

Sudan is on the cusp of its first multi-party elections in 24 years, but the election is being marred by boycotts from opposition forces who say it will be nothing more than a farce and that conflict will continue in the war-torn country.

“I have decided to come back with…. the six EU observers who are in Darfur,” Veronique De Keyser, head of the EU’s election mission in Sudan told reporters. “In some parts of Darfur the violence is terrible. The humanitarians cannot access this area and if [their] aid cannot access [it], we cannot access.”

The six EU observers arrived in Darfur in March, but have had difficulty performing their task because of the violence in the region.

“We can only have a very partial view, so how can we observe properly in Darfur,” De Keyser said. “The credibility of the mission is at stake. People have been asking how can you observe in Darfur, and this is a question I have to answer.” Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A Memorial to a Hero Needs Your Support!

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial will be the first on the National Mall to recognize a person of color and a man of peace, not a president or a veteran of war. In 1996 Congress authorized the Memorial Foundation to raise funds to establish a national memorial to honor the legacy of Dr. King on the National Mall. The memorial’s very existence signifies that we as a people believe Dr. King and his legacy deserve this esteemed placement in what can be considered America’s “Hall of Fame.”

We want to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by leading a collaborative funding, design, and construction process in the creation of a memorial to honor his national and international contributions to world peace through non-violent social change.. Read more and watch video >>>>>>>

Taking Darfur to the stage as it fades from the headlines

By Fiona Zublin

Estimates vary, but some hundreds of thousands of people have been slain in the Darfur region of Sudan. The civil war has displaced millions, who are forced to live in refugee camps where gang rape is endemic and disease runs rampant. In 2003, government-backed gunmen belonging to nomadic African Arab tribes began exterminating villages of African farmers across the region. You can think of it as a conflict between Africans and Arabs, between farmers and nomads, between government and citizens -- when you think of it at all these days. The facts are complicated, the emotional truth even more so.

But emotional truth is what Winter Miller does. She's the author of "In Darfur," a play that seeks to put a face and a name to a genocide that has faded out of the headlines of late. The play, directed by Derek Goldman, opened at Theater J on Wednesday.

Miller, 36, is a playwright -- but in 2004, she found herself working as a research assistant for Nicholas Kristof, the New York Times columnist now known for his investigative work on Cambodian sex trafficking, child marriage and, of course, the genocide in Darfur. Read more >>>>>>>>

Sudan: Lesser of two evils

Five years ago a peace treaty ended two decades of civil war in Sudan. It envisaged free elections which would prompt "democratic transformation". These are due to take place in 10 days' time. What they have created instead, according to the International Crisis Group, is a manipulated census, crooked voter registration, gerrymandered electoral districts and bought tribal loyalties.

On Thursday night the five political parties that constitute the main opposition said they would boycott the poll, a day after south Sudan's leading party, the former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), withdrew its candidate Yasir Arman. If the opposition parties remain out of the race, the election, the first multi-party contest since 1986, would lose its credibility. President Omar Hassan al-Bashir needs that legitimacy, not least to fend off indictments on charges of crimes against humanity in Darfur by the international criminal court. After some western election observers advised the government to postpone the vote, Bashir threatened to cut their fingers off. He also threatened the SPLM that if they withdrew completely from the vote, he would torpedo their forthcoming referendum on independence, which is another requirement of the 2005 peace treaty. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Workaholic ICC prosecutor hunts war criminals

"My duty is to apply the law without political considerations," Luis Moreno-Ocampo said in a speech in 2007. "Law is the only efficient way to prevent recurrent violence and atrocities."

That approach has earned the Argentine national both admiration and criticism.

Some legal observers have argued the court's actions risk prolonging conflict by jeopardizing peace deals, such as in Sudan's Darfur region or in Uganda, where charges have been made against Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army.

But Moreno-Ocampo, 57, has pushed ahead, not only expanding the number of ICC cases, but also winning a ruling in February opening up the possibility of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir being charged with genocide in Darfur. Read more >>>>>>>>>>

International vows to end Darfur crimes remain empty

By Eric Reeves

— For all the attention Darfur has received and for all the humanitarian assistance that it has been provided, innocent civilians are once again being killed as part of a ruthless counterinsurgency campaign by the Khartoum regime. Poised to retain power in next month’s thoroughly compromised national elections, this regime will continue its 20-year history of civilian destruction throughout Sudan until the world gets serious about pressuring it to stop.

The assaults are mainly in the mountainous region of Jebel Marra, where genocidal violence first exploded eight years ago. There is a ghastly familiarity to Khartoum’s assault on the region, including deployment of combat aircraft as well as Janjaweed militia forces. Many reports confirm the brutal nature of attacks on civilians, chiefly those from the Fur tribe— the largest in Darfur and the primary target of Khartoum’s counterinsurgency war.

Although purportedly directed against the increasingly fragmented Sudan Liberation Army faction led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur, the widespread attacks are clearly bent on razing entire villages and pillaging whatever has survived at this point in the war. A way of life is being destroyed.

Estimates of civilian casualties exceed 400. The French medical aid organization Medecins du Monde estimates that 100,000 civilians have been displaced by recent violence, which has compelled the organization to evacuate its personnel. A vast population is now left without humanitarian assistance, becoming more vulnerable each day.

The assault on Jebel Marra, long a rebel stronghold, occurs even as the international community congratulates the Khartoum regime for signing a peace agreement with the rebel group Justice and Equality Movement. This congratulation comes despite deep suspicion of the group by Darfuri civil society, which was excluded from the peace negotiations in Doha, Qatar.

Khalil Ibrahim, the movement’s leader, has an ugly role in Sudan’s recent history. He was an eager member of Khartoum’s National Islamic Front in the 1990s, embraced its radical Islamism, and engaged in military campaigns in southern Sudan as part of the paramilitary Popular Defense Force. These campaigns during Sudan’s North-South civil war included civilian massacres, rapes, and human enslavement.

Even so, Scott Gration, the US special envoy to Sudan, declared that the Feb. 23 agreement between Khartoum and the Justice and Equality Movement marks "an unprecedented opportunity for a significant reduction in violence in Darfur." Other international actors have been more restrained, but nonetheless enthusiastic. Yet the provisional framework agreement bears all the hallmarks of the failed Darfur Peace Agreement reached in Abuja in 2006.

That agreement, also signed by only one rebel faction, worked to splinter Darfur’s rebel groups, failed to include Darfuri civil society, and imposed no obligations on Khartoum. It serves as an example of how not to conduct peace negotiations for Darfur, a lesson clearly not learned by those in Doha.

The peace agreement with the Justice and Equality Movement offers only a vague nod to the staggering problems confronting three million Darfuris who have been displaced. It is little more than a promise of further negotiations between the movement and the regime.

Although the agreement does contain announcement of a ceasefire, Khartoum sees this as exclusively with the Justice and Equality Movement. Thus intra-factional fighting within the Sudan Liberation Army became an opportunity for Khartoum’s conquest of a region that had long been impregnable. Confident that the Justice and Equality Movement — militarily the most powerful of the rebel movements — had been neutralized, the regime accelerated its campaign, and has received no rebuke from the international community.

Meanwhile, ethnically-targeted civilian destruction continues in Darfur; international vows to end these atrocity crimes remain empty. President Obama — so forceful about Darfur during his campaign — has appointed an envoy who seems more interested in accommodating Khartoum than pressuring the regime to halt its military campaign. Without a fundamental shift in US policy, hundreds of thousands of Darfuri lives are at increased risk.

Eric Reeves is author of “A Long Day’s Dying: Critical Moments in the Darfur Genocide. This article was previously published in The Boston Globe on March 26, 2010

ICC prosecutor: Sudan poll like vote under Hitler

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Tuesday that monitoring Sudan's election next month would be like monitoring a vote in Hitler's Germany.

Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo pressed for the arrest warrant issued by the ICC a year ago against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur region. Bashir is contesting the poll.

Speaking a day after Bashir threatened to expel international election monitors for saying the vote may have to be delayed to deal with logistical problems, Moreno-Campo told a Brussels seminar:

"It's like monitoring a Hitler election. It's a huge challenge." Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

STATEMENT: Lord's Resistance Army Finds Safe Haven in Darfur

KAMPALA, Uganda, JUBA, Sudan and WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Enough Project at the Center for American Progress today released the following statement:

The Enough Project confirms that a contingent of the deadly Lord's Resistance Army, or LRA, has taken refuge in areas of south Darfur, Sudan, controlled by the Government of Sudan. The possibility of rekindled collaboration between LRA leader Joseph Kony and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir - both wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, or ICC - should alarm policymakers and demands urgent international investigation and response.

The LRA originated in northern Uganda during the late 1980s. In addition to committing widespread atrocities in Uganda, throughout the 1990s and early 2000s the LRA served as a proxy for the Sudanese government in its war with the Sudan People's Liberation Army, or SPLA, in southern Sudan. In 2005, Kony publicly stated that the Bashir government supported the LRA as a proxy force to destabilize the south, a charge that Khartoum continues to deny despite considerable evidence to the contrary.

"The Khartoum regime's principal tool of war during its 21-year reign has been support for marauding militias such as the Janjaweed, the Murahaliin, and the Lord's Resistance Army," said Enough Co-founder John Prendergast. "Facing no consequences for this destructive method of governing, it is unsurprising that the regime is again providing safe haven for the LRA. Absent a cost for this, we will likely see the LRA unleashed again later this year to destabilize the referendum in southern Sudan." Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Stop the Humanitarian Blockade of Jebel Marra, Darfur

By Anne Bartlett,

For the people of Jebel Marra, the self congratulatory backslapping and treaty signing in Doha seem to be a world away from the reality of their existence as they starve on the mountain slopes of Darfur. Forced from their villages as a result of a military campaign launched by the Government of Sudan, the idea of peace seems a distant prospect to say the least. Over the last 6 weeks, the displacement of over 250,000 people who are now forced to live in caves or to run from village to village in search of safety also seems far away from the concerns of the International Community, UNAMID, Save Darfur, human rights organizations or indeed anyone who might be expected to help. Instead, innocent people have been left to fend for themselves: their hopes for the future reduced to ashes alongside their villages which the Sudanese government recently burnt.

The big question here is why? Why is blatant genocide being ignored? Why, for example, can the likes of Jerry Fowler of Save Darfur tour the region telling anyone who will listen that: “Organized fighting is not widespread ... Nor is there systematic violence against civilians”. Why, given his “vast” experience on Darfur, is he not able to spot the fact that a quarter of a million people are at this very moment sitting on the side of a mountain not far from him, while he tours around shaking hands? Why, one might ask, with his propensity for “saving” locals, is he not able to see beyond the end of his nose and take some action?

As if the myopia of Save Darfur is not bad enough, then there are the political sideshows which aim to distract attention from the government’s recent activities in Jebel Marra. First there is the carnival of the incompetent in Doha. Susan Rice’s remarks that Doha is a “mere truce between two Islamists factions” are completely correct. Yet given her clarity, why is the US State Department supporting a “peace process” with individuals like Tigani Seisi when he has never been anything more than a puppet of Sadiq Al-Mahdi and the Umma Party? Why should a man who is held in such distaste by the people of Darfur be championed as their leader when his spell as Governor of the region was nothing short of a disaster?

Finally, why is there a systematic attempt to downplay the government of Sudan’s campaign of genocide in Jebel Marra by linking it to fights between opposing rebel factions? This persistent reporting of rebel group infighting when a quarter of a million people face annihilation by the government is bizarre to say the least. The ability to downplay the crisis faced by such a large amount of people demonstrates the effectiveness of the Sudanese government media machine. It also shows how one of the most despicable campaigns that the government has launched to systematically destroy and purge the heartland of Darfur while the world looks the other way, has been successfully disguised by amplifying a lesser story.

If genocide is about intent, then it is hard to find clearer evidence of a systematic attempt to annihilate a group of people in a given geographical area than in Jebel Marra today. In the eastern and southeastern areas of the Jebel Marra -- in towns such as Kidinyeer, Leibei, Faina, Dirbat, and Jawa -- there is a clear attempt to encircle the area with the express intention of preventing people from being able to enter or leave. Once the population is locked into the area, the real work of genocide can proceed apace. Water sources are buried leaving locals without any way to access clean drinking water. Grain stores are burnt, cutting the supply of food to nothing. Grinding mills are taken away to ensure that no flour can be made. The government forces which invaded the region have also looted houses, markets and removed all the livestock. Even the humanitarian organizations that were operating have been forced to withdraw from the area as a result of their offices being looted. Food is now in scarce supply; potable water absent and the scene is set for carnage on a massive scale.

If slow starvation and thirst is not enough, then consider the cases of four women from Kidyneer. Unable to escape fast enough from government forces, they have been captured and turned into sex slaves. For Hawwa Mohamed Ali Hassaballa 58, Haram Abulgasim Hassaballa 56, Bahria Mohamed Saleh 54, Khadija Abdulrasul Abulgasim 32 their life today is one of brutality. Raped on a continual basis and held with government militias, they probably wonder whether they will even survive. Contrast this with all participants in Doha with their fancy suits, per-diems and disingenuous hand-shaking. Has Sudan’s political strata been reduced to a parade of the greedy and corrupt, while innocent women – mothers, daughter and wives – are brutalized and receive no protection from those who are supposed to help them?

Whichever way one views the situation, one thing is clear: all that counts today is the strength of one’s political connections and how much one can talk. All that counts are the sham peace talks, expensive airline tickets and the empty rhetoric of the international community. Those without such connections are simply forgotten. For those without power, human rights conventions mean nothing; hard-fought conventions to stop genocide buy them no time. Today the people of Jebel Marra wait hoping that tomorrow will bring a better day. They wait hoping that someone will come to their rescue and stop the humanitarian blockade of their region. Unfortunately however with the current apathy of those in power, it may be some time before their plight is noticed. Let us hope that it will not be too late.


Dr. Anne Bartlett is a Professor at the University of San Francisco. She may be reached at albartlett@usfca.edu

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Screening of 'Darfur' hits close to home

By Lisa A. Abraham


The horrors of the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, were revealed in graphic detail this afternoon when the main Akron-Summit County Public Library hosted the American premiere of the movie Darfur.

''It happened like that, exactly like that. It's real,'' said David Manyuon, a senior at the University of Akron and a Sudanese refugee. Manyuon cried throughout the film because of the stark memories that it stirred within him.

Manyuon's brother, Aleer Yol ''Michael'' Manyoun, who also attends UA, said that the movie was difficult for him to watch because it brought back so many memories.

The brothers are members of the Sudanese Lost Boys of Cleveland, refugees from the country's long civil war. They attended the screening and held a discussion afterward about their own experiences during the war and their relocation to the United States.Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Darfur: US says UN Council Not Enforcing Sanctions

UNITED NATIONS - Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations, criticized the 15-nation Security Council for failing to enforce an arms embargo in Sudan's Darfur region, saying there were "cavalier violations" of UN sanctions as well as offensive military actions by Khartoum.

"We heard that there have been, and continue to be, major and frequent violations of UN sanctions on Sudan that were imposed in 2005. We know that weapons continue to flow into Darfur, acts of sexual and gender-based violence continue unabated and with impunity, military over-flights and offensive actions continue. And though there has been the recent signing of the framework agreement (between the government and the Justice and Equality rebel group), the fact is we continue to receive reports of offensive military actions by the Government of Sudan in Darfur." Read more >>>>>>>>

Darfur Children 'On Brink Of Starvation'

Darfur is on the brink of a new human catastrophe, with children increasingly at risk of starvation because of drought and neglect, says a children's charity.

The children, many of whom have known nothing but war, are uncared for and the situation is getting worse, Kids For Kids charity founder Patricia Parker said.

"I am struggling to come to terms with what I saw in the hospital in El Fasher, the regional capital of North Darfur," she told Sky News Online.

"Small babies, their sunken eyes too big for their little faces, legs and arms stick thin, gazed solemnly at me, too weak to cry.

"They come from the villages and no one seems to want to know about them. The world is weary of Darfur." Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

US 'extremely concerned' by reported Darfur offensive

WASHINGTON — The United States is "extremely concerned" about a reported Sudanese military offensive against rebels in the war-torn western region of Darfur, the State Department said Tuesday.

Sudanese military operations in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur "have reportedly caused significant civilian casualties, displacement, and the evacuation of humanitarian organizations," spokesman Philip Crowley said.

Darfur rebels said on Monday that more than 200 civilians had been killed in clashes with Sudanese government troops over the past week around the Darfur region's central Jebel Marra plateau. Read more >>>>>>>>

Genocide in Darfur: How Sudan covers it up

By John Prendergast and Omer Ismail

Washington; and Doha, Qatar —
Most governments don’t acknowledge it. The Sudanese president dismisses it. Darfurians demand that it be recognized. Academics, activists, and lawyers dispute whether it is still occurring or whether it occurred at all. International Criminal Court (ICC) judges debate standards of evidence surrounding it. The nature of recent attacks this past week by Sudanese government forces and militia allies against defenseless civilians potentially augurs its resurgence. And if a fledgling peace process continues to move forward, then any evidence of it ever happening may well be swept under the rug.

The “it” in question is Darfur’s genocide. Seven years after a small rebellion in western Sudan by Darfurian insurgents unleashed a massive counter-insurgency strategy by the Sudanese government and its Janjaweed militia allies, the debate continues: What should be done about the genocide? How can justice and peace simultaneously be pursued?

The ICC’s recent ruling that genocide charges against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir are possible gives new life to the issue. And responding to a YouTube question posed by the Enough Project, President Obama appeared to reverse his administration’s stated policy of an “ongoing genocide” by referring to it in the past tense. How do we make sense out of all this?

In our eight trips into Darfur over these past seven years, we have never met a Darfurian who does not believe genocide has occurred. But genocide is ultimately the subject of international law. The Genocide Convention states that the crime pertains when a party intends to destroy – in whole or in part – a particular group of people based on their identity. Although judges will ultimately rule on this, we believe the evidence for genocidal intent is there.

Eyewitness reports this past week of aerial bombardment of villages followed by attacks on civilians populations by armed horsemen echo back to a period just a few years ago when much of Darfur was literally on fire. These reports are emerging simultaneous to a series of framework ceasefire agreements, thus complicating the Darfur landscape further. What we do know, though, is that these recent attacks and their aftermath reinforce a disturbing trend: evidence of the human rights crimes that have been and are being committed is being concealed and compromised.

The ruling party in Sudan responsible for the bulk of the crimes in Darfur is covering up the evidence for previous and ongoing human rights crimes in five unique ways. The international community must act now – in the context of peacemaking efforts – to blow the lid off this elaborate and deadly cover-up.

First, most of the aid agencies that were thrown out last year by President Bashir were working quietly to support survivors of sexual violence and to protect thousands of women and girls from rape. One of the principal tools of war in Darfur has been systematic rape, a factor in any argument supporting the existence of genocidal intent. By removing most of the groups that were protecting or caring for rape survivors, the cover up is on.

Second, the Khartoum regime has systematically denied access to the United Nations/African Union observer mission to investigate attacks on civilians, so many of these attacks go unreported and the culpability remains mysterious. The observer mission has had no access to the areas of recent government attacks, and thus the UN mission has been totally silent in the face of major attacks. What is the role of this hugely expensive mission if not to observe and report? Denial of access is part of the Khartoum regime’s ongoing cover-up of new crimes, so the false argument can be strengthened that rights violations in Darfur are a thing of the past.

Third, there continue to be humanitarian black spots, areas where aid agencies simply can’t go, such as the areas affect by this week’s fighting, leaving over a third of Darfur unreached by food and medical aid. We don’t know the scale or scope of this problem, but we do know that when access is denied or when aid agencies are expelled, people are much more at risk of disease or malnutrition, which have been by far the biggest killers in Darfur.

Fourth, Khartoum has systematically denied access to journalists and human rights investigators, and repressed independent Darfurian civil society groups, thus robbing us of another means of independently ascertaining what is happening today in Darfur, or gathering evidence about past crimes. Illustratively, there is a total media blackout of the attacks being undertaken now in Darfur.

Fifth, the Bashir administration has intimidated aid agencies and UN bodies so no independent information gets released about human rights issues, because to do so would mean certain expulsion for the responsible organization. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hundreds feared dead in Darfur clashes -- U.N.

By Andrew Heavens

KHARTOUM, Mar 1 (Reuters) - Hundreds of civilians are feared to have died in a surge of fighting between the Sudanese army and rebels in the turbulent Darfur region, a U.N. source told Reuters on Monday.

A spokesman for Sudan's army denied any fighting was taking place in Darfur's mountainous Jabel Marra region and accused insurgents of harassing and attacking locals.

Reports of clashes throughout last week have marred Khartoum's announcement of a new peace push in the region and come just over a month ahead of national elections.

"We think that we have a mounting number of casualties ... The lower estimate is around 140. The higher estimate is closer to 400," said a U.N. source. He said the figures referred to civilian deaths.Read more >>>>>>>>>>

The preliminary peace treaty signed Tuesday night But many are still skeptical

NAIROBI, Kenya — The preliminary peace treaty signed Tuesday night between the most powerful rebel movement in Darfur and the Sudanese government is the culmination of a shift in regional politics that could help bring Darfur’s sputtering conflict to an end, Sudan observers say.

Just look at the Darfur Peace Agreement of May 2006, they say, or the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement later that year, or the unilateral cease-fire that the Sudanese government declared in Sirte, Libya, in 2007. None of these gestures, all heralded as potential “game changers” at the time, changed much.

Darfur, the enormous western region of Sudan, is still home to roving militias, burned-down villages and nearly three million displaced people. If anything has reduced the conflict’s intensity, it seems, it is the fragmentation among rebels and sheer fatigue, not the previous peace deals. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>

Sudan: Clashes in Darfur

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A government offensive against a rebel group in central Darfur has intensified in the past few days, a United Nations official said Friday. Samuel Hendricks, a United Nations humanitarian official, said the fighting in a stronghold of the Sudan Liberation Army in Jebel Marra had escalated, with confirmed reports of aerial bombardments in Deribat and two other surrounding areas. The Sudan Liberation Army has rejected the truce signed by the government and another rebel group on Tuesday in Qatar.

WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF UNAMID IN DARFUR?

By Gamal Adam,

It has now been more than three weeks when the Government of Sudan’s forces have been wreaking havoc in eastern, southeastern, northeastern and northern parts of Jabel Marra including towns and villages such as Kidinyeer, Laibei, Feina, Dirbat, and Dobo. These towns have been exposed to continuous attacks from the air by helicopters and Antonov and MiG planes and by forces of infantrymen and janjaweed from the ground.
The tactical pattern the government has adopted in these areas is aerial attacks followed by intensive invasions from the ground. Every single attack there is accompanied by hundreds of Arab men each of whom has at least three camels following the military vehicles. The government forces open fire indiscriminately on the villagers killing and wounding civilians. The survivors among the villagers just flee with the clothes they had on and leave everything behind. Then the Arab men from the S’adaa tribe who accompany the invading military convoys, enter the homes and shops and take all the valuables, destroy the property that they cannot carry and rustle cattle and small stock.

All these attacks have been happening in the face of what appears to be a complete media blackout. The news sources that previously reported on the atrocities in Darfur are more concerned about the reunification of Islamists in Doha, the infighting amongst rebel groups and the pretense of a forthcoming election. None of these issues have anything to do with survivors of genocide in Darfur whose immediate need is protection and then the right to life with dignity in their own country. Even Radio Dabanga which is thought by many to be the voice for the destitute Darfuris, has prioritized elections and the sham of the Doha negotiations over the protection of people in Jabel Marra.

However, the most shocking absence in all of this is UNAMID. The silence of UNAMID on the attacks in Kidinyeer, Leibei, Feina, and Dirbat is outrageous and unconscionable. While UNAMID’s s mandate is limited, there is no excuse whatsoever for leaving civilians to die with a complete news blackout. UNAMID’s failure to fulfill their role of reporting the ongoing government attacks in Jabel Marra at the time when it has recently received several helicopters to intensify its monitoring operations makes me wonder on what its function really is. It weakens further the ability of the UN claim any legitimacy for peace operations and renders questionable the “African” in African union. In what way did these villagers see any support from their African brothers?

One wonders what will be written on the pages of history about Darfur. Will it be that the world abandoned innocent people to be slaughtered while a mockery of negotiations took place in Doha and Chad? Will it be that news-agencies reported on the so called elections while the Sudanese government carried out its plan to annihilate an entire ethnic group? Will it be that the international community facilitated peace talks for their own interests with the very same group of fundamentalists that it is fighting the war on terror against? Will it be that in the 21st century long after the hard fought campaigns to end slavery that a new form of enslavement of the people of Darfur is happening under the nose of the first African American President? These questions remain to be answered.


He is an adjunct Professor, University of San Francisco and can be reached at gaadam@usfca.edu

Darfur conflict flares after Sudan President Bashir declares war over

The Darfur conflict flared again after a Darfur rebel group said it was attacked by government troops Wednesday, just as the government signed a cease-fire with a separate rebel group and Sudan’s President Hassan Al Bashir declared the war in Darfur over.

The Sudanese Army denied any clashes happened Wednesday in the Jabel Marra region in Darfur, which it said is under government control. But the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) said it was attacked in at least three areas, reports Reuters. The French aid organization Medecins du Monde confirmed that fighting had taken place, forcing it to suspend operations Wednesday. The group said the city of Deirbat had been attacked, though it did not say by whom, causing a “massive flight of people” and bringing the number of displaced in the region to 100,000.

Reuters reports the SLA’s spokesman said “heavy” fighting went on throughout the night:

"The government attacked in huge numbers backed up by Antonovs [airplanes], helicopter gunships and MiGs (fighter jets). This is the peace the government is offering." Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sudan denies secret deal with JEM amid intense speculations on power sharing

February 20, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government dismissed reports on a secret deal with the Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) that paved the way for a peace accord signed this week in its preliminary form in Chad.

The preliminary framework agreement in Ndjamena includes a temporary ceasefire and sets groundwork on which negotiations can commence. Items include humanitarian issues, IDP’s, wealth and power sharing, release of Darfuri war prisoners.

Full blown negotiations will resume in Doha shortly and Sudan says it expects concluding it by March 15.

The head of the Sudanese delegations in Doha talks Amin Hassan Omer told the government sponsored Sudanese Media Center (SMC) website that there have been no secret meetings or agreement with the rebel group saying that these are speculations and fears made by other Darfuri movements which are not part of the accord.

A breakaway faction of JEM led by Idris Azrag slammed the accord saying that it throws a cold shower on the efforts to unite the Darfur rebel groups currently in Qatar.

The group said that this is an outcome of “secret compromise” between the two sides under the following terms,

1. The release of Abdul-Aziz Nur Ushar (half-brother of JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim subject to death sentence), and others. 2. JEM to keep its army in Darfur while Khartoum will provide supplies and salaries to its fighters. 3. Handing over the political and military powers in Darfur to JEM and making Khalil Ibrahim the governor of the region. 4. JEM would cooperate with the government to protect polling stations. 5. The government would pay compensation for the losses of JEM. 6. JEM Cooperation with the government to dismantle and eliminate the rest of the rebel groups. 7. A reconciliation to unify the Islamic movement in Sudan to meet the challenges arising from the secession of the south and putting an end to expansion of secularism in the north.

Azrag’s statement said that this “bilateral pact” does not resolve the Darfur conflict and will further escalate the situation. The group said it will determine within the next 24 hours its position on the Doha talks.

The faction of Sudan Liberation Army (SLM) led by Ahmed Abdel-Shafi said in a statement today that they have ordered his delegation to withdraw from Doha and accused the mediation of violating the terms of prior agreements by endorsing the JEM accord with Khartoum. Read more >>>>>>>>>>

Sudan Government Clashes With Darfur Faction, Rebel Groups Say

By Maram Mazen

Feb. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Sudanese government forces and a rebel faction clashed today in Sudan’s western region of Darfur, a rebel commander said.

Government forces backed by militias attacked positions held by the Sudan Liberation Movement of Abdel Wahid Nour in the area of Feina east of Jebel Marra in South Darfur State, Al- Sadeq Al-Zein Rokero, an official with the rebel group, said by telephone from the area today.

“They attacked the area with heavy weaponry and aerial attacks,” Rokero said in a telephone interview. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

New club at Bromfield to help Darfur

Harvard — The Darfur Sister School Club will soon be starting up at the Bromfield School.

At the Feb. 8 meeting, Lily Ritter and Ann Chacko, juniors at Bromfield, requested that the School Committee officially sanction the club.

Lily said they wish to connect with a sister school in a refugee camp in southern Chad.

“We want to raise funds for schools so they can buy more school supplies for the students there … hire more teachers and construct a school there.”

Lily said that video blogging is a way the club can establish pen pals with the sister school students.

Ann offered some ideas for fundraising such as dances, bake sales, a talent show, a walk around the track in Harvard, and bringing speakers into the community to talk about Darfur. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sudan's Leader Could Face Darfur Genocide Charge

Sudan must speed up Darfur trials: rights expert

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's special prosecutor for crimes in Darfur has not charged or tried anyone, and the government must speed up trials or lose the confidence of the people, a U.N.-appointed human rights expert said on Thursday.
Sudan appointed special prosecutor Nimr Mohamed in 2008 hoping his trials would delay the International Criminal Court which last year issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes in Darfur. Sudan rejects the ICC's jurisdiction.

"He (Nimr Mohamed) informed me that investigations are continuing and that no one has been charged and tried as yet," Tanzanian judge Mohamed Chande Othman told reporters.

"This is an issue of utmost importance in terms of accountability," he added. "Because the more you delay the more the confidence of the people of Darfur will be eroded."

Othman said there were 120 investigations underway but that the prosecutor said he was facing problems accessing rebel-held areas and finding witnesses who had left the country.

Othman was speaking in Khartoum after a 17-day trip, his first visit since being appointed last year by the U.N. human rights council to review Sudan. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Darfur Refugees Say to Boycott Sudan Elections

ABU SHOUK CAMP, Sudan (Reuters) - Nureldin Khalil sits back in the tea shack in Darfur's Abu Shouk refugee camp and shrugs. "Why should I vote? ... No one is speaking the truth in these elections. Everything is a lie."

There are nods and grunts of approval from friends around him, a small sample of what camp residents say are thousands of displaced Darfuris who are boycotting looming elections despite official reports of long queues at voter registration centres.

Sudan is preparing for what could be its first fully multiparty presidential and legislative elections in almost a quarter of a century, now just two months away in April.

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has promised the ballot will cover the whole country, including Darfur, in a bid, analysts say, to legitimise his rule in the face of war crimes charges from the International Criminal Court.

Opposition groups have said the poll is bound to be a farce in Darfur, seven years into a conflict where sporadic fighting continues to drive families from their homes and state security keeps a tight grip on the main population centres.

Residents of heavily politicised Abu Shouk, many of whom say they fled attacks by government militias as far back as 2003, say most people in the camp have decided to duck out of the process altogether by refusing to register as voters.

"The people who attacked us in our villages are the same people who came to register us for the elections," said tribal leader Umda Adam Khatar, sitting in his house roofed with USAID sacking.

"I am going to stay in my house. No one will count my name." Read more >>>>>

Militias raid Darfur camp, kill two refugees

EL-FASHER, Sudan (Reuters) - Militias raided a Darfur refugee camp, shooting dead two people and injuring at least 10 in an escalation of tensions in Sudan's restive west, witnesses and U.N. officials said Wednesday.

The raid followed the murder of a militia member's relative who appeared to be searching the camps in Kass, South Darfur for the suspect, U.N. officials in Darfur said.

"The Janjaweed (militia) came in on horses and camels and were looting and shooting," Adam Ali, a resident in the Baytari camp in Kass town, told Reuters by telephone. "They burned many huts and looted the people's belongings."

The United Nations estimates 300,000 have died in the humanitarian crisis sparked after Khartoum mobilized militias to quell a revolt by mostly non-Arab rebels in early 2003. More than 2 million Darfuris fled the conflict to makeshift camps surrounding urban centers.

The International Criminal Court is reconsidering a charge of genocide against President Omar Hassan al-Bashir who is already wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Groups Welcome Appeal of Genocide Charges against Sudan’s Bashir

Reactions to Wednesday’s International Criminal Court (ICC) appeal of genocide charges against Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir range from a broadside against the U.S. government by Sudan’s foreign ministry, to measured comments from members of the American anti-genocide community.

In Khartoum, foreign ministry spokesman Ambassador Mu’awiya Uthman Khalid blamed Washington for slowing the peace process by sending “negative signals at all times.” He singled out the Save Darfur alliance of American anti-genocide organizations, which he accused of directly hampering the peace process.

In Washington, the president of the largest organization in the alliance, Jerry Fowler of the Save Darfur Coalition, said that Wednesday’s ruling rectifies legal errors that will provide hope to Darfur victims and rebel groups, but will not likely alter the pace of current peace talks in Doha, Qatar or influence the conduct of April presidential elections in Sudan.

“For victims of attacks in Darfur, most of whom believe that they are victims of genocide, it gets a reconsideration of that particular charge. I think in the broader scheme of things, it underscores, though, that regardless of the ultimate outcome on this charge, President Bashir remains a fugitive internationally, and his ability to travel is very limited, and the prospects that he will ultimately face justice continue to be strong,” said Fowler. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Darfur: the beauty of the area rhymed in the tones of Mariam Amu

Sudan : Events of 2009

Events of 2009

Four years after Sudan's ruling party and the southern rebels signed the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) ending 21 years of civil war, Sudanese civilians in Darfur, northern states, and the South are still enduring human rights violations and insecurity. The Government of National Unity (GNU) has been unwilling to implement national democratic reforms as envisioned in the CPA. The failure of both Sudan's ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the southern ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) to implement other provisions of the CPA has contributed to insecurity and led to outright violence in some settings.

Accountability for human rights abuses remains practically nonexistent. On March 4, 2009, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir-the first for a sitting head of state by the ICC-for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur.

Darfur

The conflict in Darfur continues to involve government-backed militia forces and rebel and ex-rebel movements that have caused civilian deaths, injuries, and displacement. The government has kept its war machinery in place, with heavy military deployments throughout Darfur, including auxiliary forces such as Border Guards that have absorbed Janjaweed militia into the army. Despite international mediation and diplomatic support, the government and rebel factions have not reached a political solution to the conflict.

In early 2009 fighting between government forces and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebels in Muhajeria, South Darfur, displaced more than 40,000 civilians. The government used indiscriminate force through aerial bombing, often in combination with ground forces, to attack civilian populations linked to rebel movements. In May, during government-JEM clashes in North Darfur, witnesses reported heavy aerial bombing on civilian areas with scores killed and many more injured. After a lull during the rainy season, fighting resumed in September when government forces clashed with rebel movements in North Darfur, killing more than a dozen civilians and destroying several villages. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Al Bashir case: Appeals Chamber to deliver on 3 February, 2010, its judgment on the Prosecutor’s appeal against the arrest warrant decision

Situation: Darfur, Sudan
Case: The Prosecutor v. Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir

On Wednesday, 3 February, 2010, at 10:30 a.m. (The Hague local time), the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court will deliver, in public session, its judgment on the Prosecutor’s appeal against the “Decision on the Prosecution’s Application for a Warrant of Arrest against Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir”.

In that decision dated 4 March, 2009, the majority of Pre-Trial Chamber I found that the material provided by the Prosecutor in support of his application for a warrant for the arrest of Omar Al Bashir failed to provide reasonable grounds to believe that Omar Al Bashir had the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa groups. Consequently, the crime of genocide was not included in the warrant issued for the arrest of Omar Al Bashir.

On 6 July, 2009, the Prosecutor appealed the decision, in relation to that charge, submitting to the Appeals Chamber that the majority of Pre-Trial Chamber I erred when requiring that the existence of reasonable grounds to believe that the person has committed the alleged crime must be the only reasonable conclusion from the evidence presented by the Prosecutor. Read more >>>>>>.

Jews share a special bond with suffering people in Haiti, Darfur

By Barbara Yaffe

If solidarity is built through shared suffering, the state of Israel surely has a special bond with countries afflicted by crisis.

Israel, forged after the Holocaust, has been particularly quick to respond to the suffering of those affected by a genocide in Darfur, and more recently, the earthquake in Haiti.

Today marks the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a Polish concentration camp where Jews were gassed, starved or worked to death for no other reason than because they happened to be Jewish. Others, non-Jews deemed enemies of Hitler's Nazi regime, also were tortured and murdered in such camps, built in the 1930s and 1940s throughout eastern Europe.

In 2005 the United Nations General Assembly declared Jan. 27 to be an International Day of Commemoration to Honour the Victims of the Holocaust.

The world's Jewish community, having lost six million in the Holocaust -- six million -- sadly, has an intimate understanding of genocide and loss.

Indeed it's now a core concept of Judaism that Jewish people, who today number fewer than 13 million across the globe (5.3 million live in Israeli; another 5.2 million in America), must not stand idly by when the blood of others is being spilled.

This is the essence of the Jewish mantra, Never Again. Read more >>>>>>>>>

Obama must act to stop slaughter in Darfur

By ROBERT MESSA
Although there are pressing domestic issues dominating the headlines these days, there is an old headline that needs to be revisited.


The declared genocide occurring in the Darfur province of Sudan has seen the systematic slaughter of innocent men, women and children. More than 400,000 people have died according to figures that are only estimated because the brutal regime that is perpetrating this genocide will not let a proper count be taken.

United Nations' estimates put the displaced at 2 million. The Sudanese leadership, in conjunction with paid militias, have raped women who have wandered from their refugee camps, killed men in horrifying ways in front of their own children and most recently, started rounding up the intelligent people who oppose this regime and making them "disappear."

They have killed humanitarian aid workers so that only a few organizations will now take the chance to help the people displaced within the Sudan or those who have fled to neighboring Chad. There is rampant starvation of children and disease from unclean drinking water.
Our present administration in Washington has promised to hold these criminals (the U.N.'s International Criminal Court in the Hague has declared some Sudanese leaders to be war criminals and has issued subpoenas for their arrest in conjunction with crimes against humanity) accountable for their actions. Yet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Obama-appointed special envoy Scott Gration have decided to give these brutal murderers "carrots" to try to change their behavior, which has not changed in a decade. The leaders of Sudan view the administration's actions or inaction as weakness and have continued their brutal genocide with impunity since there are no consequences to them. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>

Atrocities still plague Sudan's Darfur region

By Brian Craig,

 Never again, right?  Ask yourself these questions: Do I really know what is going on in Darfur? Do I even know where Darfur is?


Darfur is a racially mixed region in Sudan where genocide has claimed many lives in the past few years. It seems people look beyond this crisis because it's not in "our" area, or because they simply don't care.

If people knew anything about Darfur and the slaughters that are happening to many innocent people, maybe they might actually start to care.

There are estimates of 400,000 people who have been killed since 2003.

The United Nations is trying to help, but it is doing a lousy job. The U.N. can't even establish that this is genocide.

They say that "there were mass murders and rapes of Darfurian civilians," but they could not label the atrocities as "genocide" because "genocidal intent seems to be missing." Innocent people are being killed and raped for no reason.

We know the Holocaust was much more terrifying that what is going on in Darfur, but where are those people who said "never again?" Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

CJC dedicates a Shabbat to Darfur

As part of its ongoing effort to ensure a definitive end to the genocide in Darfur, Canadian Jewish Congress is partnering with synagogues across Canada on January 22/23 for Darfur Shabbat.
Darfur Shabbat asks rabbis and congregants from one end of the country to the other to dedicate a portion of their regular Shabbat service to stopping the genocide for good by focusing on what the Canadian Jewish community can do to help.

“We think that now is a great time to heighten and redouble our efforts to end the genocide so that it is once and for all done,” said Benjamin Shinewald, CJC’s National Executive Director and General Counsel.

While there have been encouraging developments in the Darfur region in the past six months, pressure must be kept up. To remain silent while there is still violence going on would go against a major tenet of Judaism not to ignore the suffering of others. It would also ignore our responsibility to perform tikkun olam (“to repair the world”).
"The idea was to get rabbis from across Canada, and to get rabbis from the three streams of Judaism,” Shinewald said.

Darfur Shabbat is taking place only a few days before the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, which symbolizes the end of the Holocaust. CJC’s intent is to use the date to say that the world’s apathy to the suffering of the Jews during the Holocaust means that as Jews we must speak out against what is going on in Darfur. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Are Sudanese Courts Up to Prosecuting Sexual Violence Crimes?

Darfuri lawyers say laws need to be overhauled to enable rape prosecutions. For indepth expert views, click the link

Participation at upcoming Darfur Civil Society consultations

18 January 2010

To: H.E. Djibril Bassole, AU/UN Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur
To: H.E. Ahmed Abdalla Aal Mahmoud, State Minister for Foreign Affairs; State of Qatar


We, the undersigned representatives of Darfur civil society organisations in the Diaspora and refugee camps, highly value your relentless efforts to resolve the armed conflict and achieve peace for our beleaguered people in Darfur.

The Darfur Civil Society Inaugural Conference convened in Doha in November 2009 was a welcome step in the right direction. It would empower Darfur civil society and allow their contribution to a peaceful resolution of the country’s crisis including Darfur. In fact, that important gathering comes in fulfilment of UN Security Council Resolution S/RES/1828 (2008) of 31st July 2008 in which the Security Council underlined “… the need for the engagement of civil society, including women and women-led organizations, community groups and tribal leaders” in the peace process in Darfur.

However, we are inclined to believe that inclusive representation of civil society in the Inaugural Conference was not met. The refugees were neglected, the Diaspora was represented by three individuals who could speak only on behalf of themselves and most of the IDP camps have had no meaningful representation. Instead, there was a prevailing presence of supporters of the Government of Sudan some of whom stand accused of playing active role in tormenting the people of Darfur. Yet they were present in Doha to speak on behalf of their victims.

It is very unlikely that the government of Sudan would either "ease security measures and guarantee freedom of movement" in particular for independent-minded representative of the people of Darfur or comply with the recommendations of UN Security Council resolution 1769 (2008)’ to make the participation of the Darfur IDP camps dwellers in civil society gatherings abroad possible. You would appreciate that in such situations the views of the participants at any consultations would not be equitably balanced in case there is disproportionate representation of Darfuris from the IDP camps, refugee camps and those in the Diaspora. To have any inclusive and meaningful consultations with Darfur civil society, we do believe it is imperative that the three groups mentioned above be adequately represented. Partial ownership of a peace agreement is rather self-destructive.

Therefore, we earnestly urge the Joint Mediation and the government of the State of Qatar to ensure adequate representation of Darfur refugees, IDPs and Darfur civil society in the Diaspora in all upcoming civil society consultations so that they can voice their views and play a constructive role in both the peace- making and in the post- conflict peace-building phases.


Thank you,


The list of potential signatories:

Noraldaim Mohammed
Darfur Union in UK & Northern Ireland, UK

Ahmed M. Mohamedain
Darfur Union, The Netherlands

Abdelbagi Jibril
Darfur Relief & Documentation Centre, Switzerland

Dr. Mariam Suliman
Darfur Training Committee, Ireland

Niemat Ahmadi
Darfur Women Action Group, USA

Abdelhadi Abakr
Darfur Call, The Netherlands

Adam Abdalla
Darfur Association Galgary, Canada

Abdelazim Gamal
Darfur Association, Belgium

Mohamedain Ishag
Darfur Heritage & Culture, Belgium

Darfur Association, Norway
Ahmed Haroun

Gibril Hamid
Darfur Friedens- und Entwicklungs-Zentrum, Switzerland

Adeeb Yousif,
Darfur Reconciliation & Development, USA

Ishak Makki
Darfur Victim’s Organization for Rehabilitation Relief, UK

Dr. Mohammed Ali Mustafa
Darfur IPDs & Refugees Union, Chad

Sabir Ibrahim
Darfur Solidarity Group, South Africa

Bakri Abdalla
Darfur Association Ontartio, Canada

Mohamed Suleiman
Darfur Self Reliance Education, USA

Dr. Mahmoud Braima
Darfur Association of North America, USA

Ahmed Adam Ali
Darfur Association of Colorado, USA

Fatima Haroun
Darfur Rehabilitation project, USA

Adam Omer
Darfur Association of Lincoln, USA

Dr. Adam Mohamed Ahmed
Darfur Solidarity Group of North America, USA

Mohamed Adam Sharaf,
Darfur Solidarity of Arizona, USA

Amal Allagabo
Darfur Women Action Group, USA

Bashir's Pre-Election Victory Lap at the Scene of the Crime

Can you imagine Slobodan Milosevic running for president in Srebrenica? The world would have been justifiably outraged. Yesterday, however, indicted war criminal Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir visited El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. While not an official campaign appearance, the trip comes three days after Bashir received the formal presidential nomination of his party in the upcoming elections in April. It is long past due for the world - and particularly the United States - to express its grave concern about the sham electoral process that in a few months could effectively legitimize Bashir's repressive government.

This week at a campaign stop, Bashir vowed to his supporters that the elections would teach the world lessons in dedication and sacrifice. What they are really teaching the world is that a dictatorial and even genocidal regime can forgo its commitments to peace and democratic transformation without suffering any consequences. These elections did not fall from the sky, but - instead - were supposed to be a key milestone in transforming the country after decades of civil war. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) agreed to by Bashir's party and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in 2005 set a path for the Sudanese to rebuild their political institutions, economy, and society.

The death and destruction in Darfur and continued repression of political opponents by the Bashir regime over the last four years vitiated the CPA-inspired hopes that those in power in Khartoum had disavowed intimidation and violence as the chief means to resolve political differences within Sudan. But despite the lack of basic political freedoms and the insecurity that persists in Darfur, the Bashir regime now promotes these elections as a critical moment in the history of Sudan. Their strategy cannot be any clearer: use these elections to consolidate power within Sudan and re-legitimize themselves in the international community.

While Milosevic attempted to steal the Serbian elections in 2000 after a decade of bloodshed in the Balkans, he could not campaign in Srebrenica, the site of the worst massacre during the civil war because Bosnia had gained independence. In stark contrast, Bashir's visit to Darfur serves as a pre-election victory lap at the scene of the crime. Indeed, his regime has declared that Darfur is now safe enough for elections to take place and, if that's the case, it follows that the conflict must be over. Despite clashes this week between rebel forces and the Sudanese army, violence over the last two years has significantly diminished in Darfur. The clever 2010 election strategy though by Bashir attempts to hide the fact that 2.7 million Darfuris remain displaced, a peace agreement with the Darfuri rebels remains elusive, and Bashir and others perpetrators of war crimes remain fugitives from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes committed in Darfur. Read full article >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Touched by tragic tales from Darfur, student takes action

BY STEPHANIE WAYNE

A Glen Rock High School (GRHS) student has organized a fundraising concert to aid humanitarian efforts in Darfur, a region of the Sudan that has been in a state of civil war for nearly seven years.

GRHS sophomore Amanda Kroll is the organizer of "Peace Through Music," which will be held tomorrow from 6 to 10 p.m. at Barnert Temple in Franklin Lakes. Kroll said all the proceeds will be donated to American Jewish World Service (AJWS), a New York-based organization dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world, regardless of race, religion or nationality, according to its Web site, www.ajws.org.

Kroll and her family are members of Barnert Temple, where Rabbi Elyse Frischman has often spoken of the plight of the Darfuri people in comparison to other genocidal movements in history. On her way home from Sunday school one afternoon, Kroll told her mother, Robin, that she wanted to do something for the oppressed people of Darfur.

"How can I not do something about this?" Kroll said.

According to published reports, the Darfur Conflict began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement in the region took up arms, accusing the government of oppressing black Africans in favor of Arabs. The AJWS reports that the Sudanese government and its Janjaweed militia continue to terrorize and kill civilians, rape women and girls, burn villages and drive innocent people from their homes in the region. The reported death toll in the war has ranged from the official Sudanese government count of 10,000 to United Nations estimates of 300,000, according to the British Broadcasting Company (BBC).

The AJWS' Darfur Action Committee is dedicated to helping the refugees and to raising awareness of the "holocaust" conditions in that region.

"I think it is terrible, these people are being killed by their government," Kroll said. "They need someone there to help them." Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sudan army, rebels clash in Darfur

KHARTOUM — Sudanese forces clashed with rebels on Wednesday in a key area of the troubled western region of Darfur, rebels and peacekeepers said.

"We have taken Gulu" in Jebel Marra, the fertile plateau in the heart of Darfur, Ibrahim al-Hillu, spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Army faction of Abdel Wahid Nur, told AFP.

Sudanese aircraft had earlier bombed rebel positions in the Jebel Moon and Jebel Marra areas, Hillu said, adding that clashes had caused casualties among civilians as well as rebels and government troops.

"Today, there were clashes between the army and SLA-Abdel Wahid," an official with the UN-African Union peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) told AFP but did not confirm if the rebels had taken control of Gulu.

"Some NGOs are on the ground assisting the local population," the official added.

Sudanese warplanes have also bombarded positions of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in Jebel Moon over the past few days. Read more >>>>

Terror in Sudan

To the Editor:

Re “After Years of Mass Killings, Fragile Calm Holds in Darfur” (front page, Jan. 2):

Contrary to the impression given in your article, it is not the rebels but Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan’s president, who is the real catalyst for seven years of government-sponsored terror in Darfur, resulting in 300,000 deaths and the displacement of about three million more.

This same man, who has been indicted on war crime charges, and his National Congress Party were responsible for the deaths of two million in southern Sudan during two decades of civil war as they sought to protect their hold on oil resources.

The “fragile calm” your article depicts in Darfur exists only because Mr. Bashir has largely finished his work there. He is now focused on other priorities, most important of which is rigging the coming elections to maintain his grip on power. Before an election farce legitimizes his reign, the Obama administration should impose strict consequences on his brutal regime. Otherwise, southern Sudan may descend into another war, and three million Darfuris suffering in camps may never be able to go home.

Susan Morgan
Wellesley, Mass., Jan.
3, 2010

The writer is co-founder of Investors Against Genocide and executive director of Pax Communications.

Chadian Rebels Attack, Rape Darfuris - Residents

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Chadian rebels are raping, beating and looting villagers in western Sudan's North Darfur region, residents said on Monday.

Rights activists said the attacks might be war crimes and urged the Sudanese government and the United Nations to investigate them.

Chadian-Sudanese relations are key to the conflict in Darfur, and the two countries have accused each other of supporting rebels fighting for more power.

A rapprochement between the two neighbours last month included an agreement to form a joint border patrol force and to move rebel forces away from the long and porous frontier.

"We are asking the Khartoum government ... to immediately move these forces out of our areas ... and to compensate the victims of these crimes," a member of the youth movement from the al-Sayah area, Adam Shiekat, told Reuters by telephone.

Shiekat, who used a nickname for fear of arrest, said two teachers from the school in al-Sayah had been arrested by security forces and accused of disseminating information about the attacks.

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies said those committing the crimes should be held accountable. "These acts may constitute war crimes and (we) call on the government of Sudan and relevant UN representatives to initiate a full and thorough investigation," it said in a statement.

A source in the aid community in Khartoum confirmed there had been numerous attacks and said that since the Chadians moved to the area on December 3, at least 20 women had been raped, a woman eight months pregnant had died from her injuries and four other people had been killed.

"These people are very, very poor and now they are suffering twice -- once during the Darfur war and now again," the source said, adding that the Chadians were stealing the precious little water, food and firewood in the area.

Sudan expelled 13 aid agencies last year, and those left are too scared to speak openly.Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Is Sudan Moving Back to the Brink of War?

By Alex Perry

Sudan enters 2010 poised between war and peace — in Darfur, in its decades old conflict between north and south, and in a host of smaller internal conflicts. The largest country in Africa and home to some of its largest oil reserves, the country faces a general election in April, an independence referendum in the south a year from now, and the indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of its president, Omar al-Bashir, on war crimes charges. Here's TIME's guide to (yet another) year of living dangerously in Sudan:

How likely is a new civil war?

Fairly likely, not least because this has always been a combustible part of the world. Sudan straddles the fault-line between the Muslim Arab world and black, largely Christian Africa and the two sides have a long history of enmity: The first Sudanese civil war lasted from 1955 to 1972 and the second from 1983 to 2005; combined, the conflicts cost more than 2 million lives. Ten aid groups warned this week that 2009 saw a "major upsurge in violence" along the north-south frontier, with 2,500 people killed and 350,000 displaced, and they expressed a widely shared view that such violence is likely to escalate this year to the point of a breakup of Sudan, and a major humanitarian crisis. Rob Crilly, author of the forthcoming Saving Darfur: Everyone's Favorite African War, cautions that aid agencies "have sometimes cried wolf in their attempts to raise funds." But with much of Sudan still controlled by militias, the boundaries of the oil-rich areas between north and south still unresolved, and convincing evidence of large-scale re-arming on both sides, he adds: "At best, the [general election and independence referendum] could ease Sudan along the path towards democracy. At worst, they could herald a new phase of repression, followed by a resumption of war." Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Mariam Amu and the artistic temperament about the beloved Darfur

Obama mus act to stop the slaughter in Darfur

Although there are pressing domestic issues dominating the headlines these days, there is an old headline that needs to be revisited.


The declared genocide occurring in the Darfur province of Sudan has seen the systematic slaughter of innocent men, women and children. More than 400,000 people have died according to figures that are only estimated because the brutal regime that is perpetrating this genocide will not let a proper count be taken.

United Nations' estimates put the displaced at 2 million. The Sudanese leadership, in conjunction with paid militias, have raped women who have wandered from their refugee camps, killed men in horrifying ways in front of their own children and most recently, started rounding up the intelligent people who oppose this regime and making them "disappear."

They have killed humanitarian aid workers so that only a few organizations will now take the chance to help the people displaced within the Sudan or those who have fled to neighboring Chad. There is rampant starvation of children and disease from unclean drinking water. Read more >>>>>>>>>.

Let's reaffirm our Darfur commitment

When we enter a new year, we tend to reflect on our gains and our losses from the previous year. In 2009, we accomplished much, but many factors have caused us to forget one very important issue that our country has passed by for many years now: Darfur.
After almost seven years, genocide still continues to threaten the very existence of those in Darfur and all of Sudan.

Since 2003, an estimated 300,000 have perished in this violence and 2.7 million have been displaced or forced to leave their homes. This genocide is seen as the most atrocious humanitarian crisis occurring today. The U.S. called this murder, rape and torture genocide in 2004, yet our country hasn't learned that actions speak louder than words.

As Holocaust survivor and novelist Elie Wiesel stated, "I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." And Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Orchestrating Sudan’s next fateful step

GIVEN SUDAN’S tragic history, marked by decades of civil war between the north and south, and more recent mass deaths and displacement in Darfur, it might seem hard to imagine an even more precarious future. But unless the international community moves rapidly, Sudan’s future could see the division of the country into two unviable states.

The first would be a northern Islamic state ruled by an accused war criminal, lacking legitimacy and basic freedoms essential for political stability and just governance, and facing armed rebellion not only in Darfur, but in the Nuba Mountains, the Blue Nile, and the far north.

The second would be a new country in the south, likely born into “failed state’’ status, dependent on the tender mercies of antagonistic neighbors and international aid donors, divided by violent ethnic clashes, and also lacking even the most modest prospects for effective and transparent governance.

Sudan stands at a critical juncture, with national elections set for April and a southern referendum on independence in 2011. With a lost hope for the unity of Sudan, the northern National Congress Party under President Omer al-Bashir will probably do whatever is necessary to win the national elections, including rigging the vote and repressing the opposition. Badly damaged by the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the party needs elections to re-legitimize itself and tighten its grip on power. Read more >>>>>>>>

AY goes global, host fundraising dinner for Darfur

EMC Events - The Grade 12 international business class at AY Jackson Secondary School is making a difference with its global leadership project Mission Possible: Darfur.

The students are holding a fundraising dinner and silent auction on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at Lonestar Restaurant (4048 Carling Ave.) to raise money for field projects in Darfur with proceeds going to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

"We are actually helping people out there," said project co-president Andrea Alamo. "It feels good."

After students pitched various project ideas, the class voted on this cause after students Charlotte Mahon and Aman Ahluwalia attended a seminar on world issues which discussed the ongoing genocide in Darfur.

"After the Holocaust and Rwanda, people said there would be no more genocides, but there are and it is happening," said Mahon, who is the project's co-president.

"It is happening right now," added Alamo.

Mahon explained that this event is put together entirely by the students.

"We want to make this event as big as possible because Darfur is one of the biggest issues of our generation," said Mahon. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>

Catholic school students unite to send aid to Darfur

Eight of Springfield’s Catholic schools recently participated in a joint project to raise funds for Catholic Relief Services’ humanitarian efforts in Darfur. Through a fund-raising raffle, students of Blessed Sacrament, Cathedral, Christ the King, Little Flower, St. Agnes, St. Aloysius, St. Joseph and Sacred Heart-Griffin High School raised $3,000 to assist CRS with ongoing emergency relief efforts in Darfur.

Raffle items were donated from a 25-year collection of collectibles by Barbara Dunlavy and her sister Mary, both of Chicago, who are sisters to Sister Maristella Dunlavy, OP, former principal of Cathedral School. The sisters wanted to make a donation to Darfur and thought that a raffle would be a good way to raise a sizeable gift for Catholic Relief Services programs in Darfur.

CRS assists with the basic needs of the people and works aggressively to support development programs that combat social injustice and promote human dignity in the country of Darfur. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>