Ann Curry, a 30-year veteran journalist and NBC News anchor, returns to dangerous corners of Africa so often that she's lost count.
And even though she travels with a full crew and the latest in video satellite technology, she always takes along a simple still camera to create her favorite and most powerful images.
"It's important for me to give back forgotten people their voice, but still photographs can express some things much more deeply," said Curry. "I've found myself using it more and more, interweaving my stills into the finished piece as a kind of beat. They let viewers take in the story with greater thoughtfulness."
When she froze these moments in Sudan's battered Darfur, Curry's principal videographer was working alongside her. They shared a quiet kind of ballet, anticipating each other, drawing inspiration from each other's sense of time and composition.
"A little boy sits down suddenly beside his mother, his finger delicately touching her," recalled Curry of one picture that is among the hardest for her to forget.
"She was explaining how she was carrying him in her womb when she was attacked by the janjaweed, and she turned her back on purpose as they took her, just so they would not hurt her unborn child. At 2 years old, he was already a survivor of a crime against humanity. My heart swelled with the story of her suffering, and her courage, risking her own life to protect his," she said.
"The boy's finger was key. The light made a halo on his head. My brain was working. I was concentrating on the little boy's eye, making sure the exposure was exactly what I wanted. As soon as the camera clicked, he stood up again."
Just when traditional newspapers have morphed into multimedia engines, borrowing from the radio and television playbook, Curry has chosen one of the oldest ways of all to communicate visually -- putting images on a wall. Read more >>>>>>>>>>
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Darfur remains a U.N. disgrace
Murderous Islamic radicals have murdered thousands of people in terrorist attacks during the past several years. At the same time state terrorism - with Islamic radical underpinnings - has killed an estimated 300,000 people in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Virtually nothing has been done to stop the slaughter, which shows no sign of abating on its own.
Unless the United States takes the lead, as it did in toppling the vicious Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the world community seems unwilling to take any action to prevent massacres such as that occurring in Darfur. As Americans are painfully aware, our country has paid in blood and treasure for serving as the world's policeman for several decades. It is long past time for other countries, fully capable of mounting meaningful peacekeeping actions, to take the lead.
Darfur is in the news again. That country's President Omar al-Bashir is expelling 16 international aid agencies. He and his Arab-based government seem determined to accelerate the pace of genocide directed at Sudan's ethnic African people.
What is happening in Darfur is clear, yet the United Nations - formed to prevent such atrocities - will not act to stop the killing. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Virtually nothing has been done to stop the slaughter, which shows no sign of abating on its own.
Unless the United States takes the lead, as it did in toppling the vicious Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the world community seems unwilling to take any action to prevent massacres such as that occurring in Darfur. As Americans are painfully aware, our country has paid in blood and treasure for serving as the world's policeman for several decades. It is long past time for other countries, fully capable of mounting meaningful peacekeeping actions, to take the lead.
Darfur is in the news again. That country's President Omar al-Bashir is expelling 16 international aid agencies. He and his Arab-based government seem determined to accelerate the pace of genocide directed at Sudan's ethnic African people.
What is happening in Darfur is clear, yet the United Nations - formed to prevent such atrocities - will not act to stop the killing. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Darfur remains a U.N. disgrace
Murderous Islamic radicals have murdered thousands of people in terrorist attacks during the past several years. At the same time state terrorism - with Islamic radical underpinnings - has killed an estimated 300,000 people in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Virtually nothing has been done to stop the slaughter, which shows no sign of abating on its own.
Unless the United States takes the lead, as it did in toppling the vicious Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the world community seems unwilling to take any action to prevent massacres such as that occurring in Darfur. As Americans are painfully aware, our country has paid in blood and treasure for serving as the world's policeman for several decades. It is long past time for other countries, fully capable of mounting meaningful peacekeeping actions, to take the lead.
Darfur is in the news again. That country's President Omar al-Bashir is expelling 16 international aid agencies. He and his Arab-based government seem determined to accelerate the pace of genocide directed at Sudan's ethnic African people.
What is happening in Darfur is clear, yet the United Nations - formed to prevent such atrocities - will not act to stop the killing. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Virtually nothing has been done to stop the slaughter, which shows no sign of abating on its own.
Unless the United States takes the lead, as it did in toppling the vicious Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the world community seems unwilling to take any action to prevent massacres such as that occurring in Darfur. As Americans are painfully aware, our country has paid in blood and treasure for serving as the world's policeman for several decades. It is long past time for other countries, fully capable of mounting meaningful peacekeeping actions, to take the lead.
Darfur is in the news again. That country's President Omar al-Bashir is expelling 16 international aid agencies. He and his Arab-based government seem determined to accelerate the pace of genocide directed at Sudan's ethnic African people.
What is happening in Darfur is clear, yet the United Nations - formed to prevent such atrocities - will not act to stop the killing. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Darfur remains a U.N. disgrace
Murderous Islamic radicals have murdered thousands of people in terrorist attacks during the past several years. At the same time state terrorism - with Islamic radical underpinnings - has killed an estimated 300,000 people in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Virtually nothing has been done to stop the slaughter, which shows no sign of abating on its own.
Unless the United States takes the lead, as it did in toppling the vicious Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the world community seems unwilling to take any action to prevent massacres such as that occurring in Darfur. As Americans are painfully aware, our country has paid in blood and treasure for serving as the world's policeman for several decades. It is long past time for other countries, fully capable of mounting meaningful peacekeeping actions, to take the lead.
Darfur is in the news again. That country's President Omar al-Bashir is expelling 16 international aid agencies. He and his Arab-based government seem determined to accelerate the pace of genocide directed at Sudan's ethnic African people.
What is happening in Darfur is clear, yet the United Nations - formed to prevent such atrocities - will not act to stop the killing. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Virtually nothing has been done to stop the slaughter, which shows no sign of abating on its own.
Unless the United States takes the lead, as it did in toppling the vicious Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the world community seems unwilling to take any action to prevent massacres such as that occurring in Darfur. As Americans are painfully aware, our country has paid in blood and treasure for serving as the world's policeman for several decades. It is long past time for other countries, fully capable of mounting meaningful peacekeeping actions, to take the lead.
Darfur is in the news again. That country's President Omar al-Bashir is expelling 16 international aid agencies. He and his Arab-based government seem determined to accelerate the pace of genocide directed at Sudan's ethnic African people.
What is happening in Darfur is clear, yet the United Nations - formed to prevent such atrocities - will not act to stop the killing. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Darfur activists protest at White House
By James Wright
(May 23, 2009) - More than three dozen “Free Darfur” activists protested at the front gate of the White House on Friday, saying that the Obama administration is not living up to its promise of working to eradicate the genocide taking place in Sudan.
“We are here to tell President Obama to live up to the promises that he made during the election campaign last year,” Musa Tageldin, a leader in the “Free Darfur” movement in Washington, said. “We are asking him to put pressure on the Sudanese government. We want him to implement a no-fly zone over the areas where the genocide is taking place and we want him to pressure the government to allow those humanitarian organizations that have been expelled to come back and help the people of Darfur.”
Earlier in the week, several members of the Congressional Black Caucus launched a fast against the genocide and attempted to put the issue back into the national conversation and in the media. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) was joined in the effort by actress Mia Farrow and social activist Marcia Dyson.
Edwards has committed to fast every Friday until the August recess.
“The Darfur genocide has killed more than 400,000 civilians and displaced 2.5 million people from their homes,” said Edwards. “We ask Obama and his administration to use their political capital to lead a truly international effort, using all carrots and sticks as appropriate and necessary to make progress towards the shared goal of achieving peace for Darfur and all of Sudan.” Read more >>>>>>>>>>>
(May 23, 2009) - More than three dozen “Free Darfur” activists protested at the front gate of the White House on Friday, saying that the Obama administration is not living up to its promise of working to eradicate the genocide taking place in Sudan.
“We are here to tell President Obama to live up to the promises that he made during the election campaign last year,” Musa Tageldin, a leader in the “Free Darfur” movement in Washington, said. “We are asking him to put pressure on the Sudanese government. We want him to implement a no-fly zone over the areas where the genocide is taking place and we want him to pressure the government to allow those humanitarian organizations that have been expelled to come back and help the people of Darfur.”
Earlier in the week, several members of the Congressional Black Caucus launched a fast against the genocide and attempted to put the issue back into the national conversation and in the media. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) was joined in the effort by actress Mia Farrow and social activist Marcia Dyson.
Edwards has committed to fast every Friday until the August recess.
“The Darfur genocide has killed more than 400,000 civilians and displaced 2.5 million people from their homes,” said Edwards. “We ask Obama and his administration to use their political capital to lead a truly international effort, using all carrots and sticks as appropriate and necessary to make progress towards the shared goal of achieving peace for Darfur and all of Sudan.” Read more >>>>>>>>>>>
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Lawmakers, Farrow Urge Further Action by Obama on Darfur
Members of the U.S. Congress are urging President Obama to take further steps to address the situation in Darfur. Lawmakers joined Darfur activist and actress Mia Farrow and others at a news conference on Capitol Hill.
Acting on doctor's orders earlier this month, the 64-year-old actress ended a 12-day-long liquids-only hunger strike to protest the expulsion by Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of more than a dozen humanitarian aid agencies from Darfur.
Farrow said the symbolic protest, later taken up by British billionaire Richard Branson, and her appearance with members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), underscore the need for new international action, including steps to bring those responsible for atrocities in Darfur to justice. "It is to say to our president, and to the world, we are better than this. We cannot simply stand and watch, the slaughter of innocents, the death of innocents," she said. Read more >>>>>>>>
Acting on doctor's orders earlier this month, the 64-year-old actress ended a 12-day-long liquids-only hunger strike to protest the expulsion by Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of more than a dozen humanitarian aid agencies from Darfur.
Farrow said the symbolic protest, later taken up by British billionaire Richard Branson, and her appearance with members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), underscore the need for new international action, including steps to bring those responsible for atrocities in Darfur to justice. "It is to say to our president, and to the world, we are better than this. We cannot simply stand and watch, the slaughter of innocents, the death of innocents," she said. Read more >>>>>>>>
Thursday, May 21, 2009
”Never Again?”
by Melitta Tchaicovsky
”Never Again?” is about the conflict going on for more than 6 years in the Darfur region of Sudan. It addresses issues that are at the core of the Darfur genocide, lending insight on what is really going on in the region, why this tragedy is still going on and why the international community is not doing enough to stop it.
The documentary contains footage of interviews with survivors in displacement camps in Sudan and neighbouring Chad, with refugees, activists and scholars living in Europe and in Israel. Watch it here >>>>>>>>> http://vimeo.com/4664470
”Never Again?” is about the conflict going on for more than 6 years in the Darfur region of Sudan. It addresses issues that are at the core of the Darfur genocide, lending insight on what is really going on in the region, why this tragedy is still going on and why the international community is not doing enough to stop it.
The documentary contains footage of interviews with survivors in displacement camps in Sudan and neighbouring Chad, with refugees, activists and scholars living in Europe and in Israel. Watch it here >>>>>>>>> http://vimeo.com/4664470
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Sudanese Rebel Leaders Face War Crimes Charges
By Colum Lynch
UNITED NATIONS, May 17--The International Criminal Court's pre-trial judges have summoned three Sudanese rebel leaders to appear before the Hague-based tribunal to face charges of ordering a deadly attack more than 18 months ago against African Union peacekeepers in Darfur, according to diplomats and court officials.
It is the first time that Darfur's rebels have been charged with war crimes since the court opened its investigation into mass violence in Darfur in 2005. Until now, the court has focused primarily on the Sudanese government's role in atrocities, issuing arrest warrants for Sudan's President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, a top aide, and an allied militia leader.
The charges stem from a September, 29, 2007, raid on an African Union compound in the town of Haskanita, Darfur, where rebel commanders allegedly killed 12 peacekeepers and seriously wounded 8 more.
Various rebel factions have denied responsibility for the raid. But at least one of the accused commanders, Bahar Idris Abu Garda, the leader of a rebel splinter faction, the United Resistance Front, has agreed to defend himself. He is scheduled to arrive in the Hague, Netherlands, on Sunday and to appear before the court on Monday.
The prosecutor accused Garda and two other unidentified commanders in November of leading a heavily armed force of more than 1,000 rebel troops against an outnumbered contingent of Senegalese, Malian and Botswanan peacekeepers. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>
UNITED NATIONS, May 17--The International Criminal Court's pre-trial judges have summoned three Sudanese rebel leaders to appear before the Hague-based tribunal to face charges of ordering a deadly attack more than 18 months ago against African Union peacekeepers in Darfur, according to diplomats and court officials.
It is the first time that Darfur's rebels have been charged with war crimes since the court opened its investigation into mass violence in Darfur in 2005. Until now, the court has focused primarily on the Sudanese government's role in atrocities, issuing arrest warrants for Sudan's President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, a top aide, and an allied militia leader.
The charges stem from a September, 29, 2007, raid on an African Union compound in the town of Haskanita, Darfur, where rebel commanders allegedly killed 12 peacekeepers and seriously wounded 8 more.
Various rebel factions have denied responsibility for the raid. But at least one of the accused commanders, Bahar Idris Abu Garda, the leader of a rebel splinter faction, the United Resistance Front, has agreed to defend himself. He is scheduled to arrive in the Hague, Netherlands, on Sunday and to appear before the court on Monday.
The prosecutor accused Garda and two other unidentified commanders in November of leading a heavily armed force of more than 1,000 rebel troops against an outnumbered contingent of Senegalese, Malian and Botswanan peacekeepers. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Darfur: A forgotten conflict
THERE is a virtual genocide going on right now, under our very noses, largely ignored and seldom talked about. In 2003, two wars were unleashed upon the world and true to their nature, each caused much suffering. One, infamously, perhaps arrogantly, was announced as ‘Shock and Awe,’ while the other went largely unnoticed, in a seemingly uninteresting part of the world. Both ravaged human lives. The war in Iraq caught the media’s attention, with journalists embedded in the battlefield, bringing images and stories to our living rooms. The conflict in Darfur, however, was largely overlooked.
Still, a few groups devoted to serving humanity persisted, trying to raise the issue and give it the attention it deserved. A few from the entertainment industry caught sight of the issue, and tried to use their celebrity status to focus more attention of the powers that be. Finally, when it seemed like these organisations had managed to stir UN conscience by referring the matter to the Security Council, Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arab League, shocked the world by absolving Sudan’s president of any wrongdoing.
Like many conflicts, this catastrophe is man-made, deliberate and orchestrated by the Sudanese government to inflict collective punishment on a population. By conservative UN estimates, it has taken more than 300,000 lives and displaced nearly 2.5 million people, at the rate of nearly a 1,000 per day. Not only is the government of Sudan committing atrocities against its own people in Darfur, it is actively preventing aid from getting to the affected civilians.
The Sudan government represents the politically powerful, wealthy north of the country; Darfur lies on the western periphery, impoverished and thus resentful. Feelings of being disfavoured nurtured rebel sentiment, and triggered a civil war which has dragged on for years. Time has splintered the rebel groups into various factions, some along tribal alliances. As if internal strife were not enough, neighbouring Chad and Sudan have entered into a proxy war in the region, using and arming militias to fight each other, and China’s investments in the Sudanese oil sector have further complicated the situation. In short, there is a mess disrupting innocent lives. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Still, a few groups devoted to serving humanity persisted, trying to raise the issue and give it the attention it deserved. A few from the entertainment industry caught sight of the issue, and tried to use their celebrity status to focus more attention of the powers that be. Finally, when it seemed like these organisations had managed to stir UN conscience by referring the matter to the Security Council, Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arab League, shocked the world by absolving Sudan’s president of any wrongdoing.
Like many conflicts, this catastrophe is man-made, deliberate and orchestrated by the Sudanese government to inflict collective punishment on a population. By conservative UN estimates, it has taken more than 300,000 lives and displaced nearly 2.5 million people, at the rate of nearly a 1,000 per day. Not only is the government of Sudan committing atrocities against its own people in Darfur, it is actively preventing aid from getting to the affected civilians.
The Sudan government represents the politically powerful, wealthy north of the country; Darfur lies on the western periphery, impoverished and thus resentful. Feelings of being disfavoured nurtured rebel sentiment, and triggered a civil war which has dragged on for years. Time has splintered the rebel groups into various factions, some along tribal alliances. As if internal strife were not enough, neighbouring Chad and Sudan have entered into a proxy war in the region, using and arming militias to fight each other, and China’s investments in the Sudanese oil sector have further complicated the situation. In short, there is a mess disrupting innocent lives. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Bashir sure to face genocide charges: prosecutor
By Louis Charbonneau
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said on Monday he is confident the court's judges will soon charge Sudan's president with genocide and three Darfur rebels with war crimes.
A three-judge panel at The Hague-based court in March issued a warrant for the arrest of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity for deportations and mass killings in Sudan's western Darfur region.
While they charged Bashir on seven counts of crimes in Darfur, two of the three judges deemed the evidence insufficient to support genocide. In an interview with Reuters, the prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said he had clarified the case to the point that it should meet the judges' high evidence threshold.
"It's more than enough for the arrest warrant phase," he said.
Moreno-Ocampo said that the judges had required that he go beyond the normal criteria for an arrest warrant -- sufficient grounds for belief of guilt -- and remove any doubt that Bashir had tried to exterminate at least one specific group of people, normally the threshold for a guilty verdict. Read more >>>>>>>.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said on Monday he is confident the court's judges will soon charge Sudan's president with genocide and three Darfur rebels with war crimes.
A three-judge panel at The Hague-based court in March issued a warrant for the arrest of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity for deportations and mass killings in Sudan's western Darfur region.
While they charged Bashir on seven counts of crimes in Darfur, two of the three judges deemed the evidence insufficient to support genocide. In an interview with Reuters, the prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said he had clarified the case to the point that it should meet the judges' high evidence threshold.
"It's more than enough for the arrest warrant phase," he said.
Moreno-Ocampo said that the judges had required that he go beyond the normal criteria for an arrest warrant -- sufficient grounds for belief of guilt -- and remove any doubt that Bashir had tried to exterminate at least one specific group of people, normally the threshold for a guilty verdict. Read more >>>>>>>.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
UN aid chief frets about rainy season supplies to Darfur
KHARTOUM (AFP) — UN humanitarian chief John Holmes said on Sunday that he was worried about getting supplies in place for distribution in the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur in time for the rainy season.
Holmes told a Khartoum news conference that the expulsion of 13 foreign aid agencies by the Sudanese government in March following the issue of an international warrant for the arrest of President Omar al-Beshir on war crimes charges had aggravated the problem.
"We are not as ready as we would like to be," the UN aid chief said, as he wound up a four-day visit to Sudan.
"Normally before the rainy season, the agencies and NGOs working there would be prepositioning food and other goods, whatever it might be... because it is very difficult to move around once the rainy season starts," he said.
"Those efforts were delayed by the effect of the expulsions, by the fact that we took some time to get access to warehouses where some of these stores were kept." Read more >>>>>>>>>
Holmes told a Khartoum news conference that the expulsion of 13 foreign aid agencies by the Sudanese government in March following the issue of an international warrant for the arrest of President Omar al-Beshir on war crimes charges had aggravated the problem.
"We are not as ready as we would like to be," the UN aid chief said, as he wound up a four-day visit to Sudan.
"Normally before the rainy season, the agencies and NGOs working there would be prepositioning food and other goods, whatever it might be... because it is very difficult to move around once the rainy season starts," he said.
"Those efforts were delayed by the effect of the expulsions, by the fact that we took some time to get access to warehouses where some of these stores were kept." Read more >>>>>>>>>
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Bashir experienced ‘severe panic’ in Ethiopia by the sight of chartered plane with a US flag
The Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir went through thirty minutes of panic at an airport in northern Tigray region during an official visit last month, an Ethiopian news paper reported today.
‘The Reporter’ independent daily which is published in native Amharic language said that the Sudanese delegation headed by Bashir was stuck in the presidential jet at Mekele Airport waiting for the boarding ladder.
Al-Bashir had arrived to lead Sudan at the meetings of the supreme joint committee co-chaired by the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
The Sudanese head of state visit to Ethiopia was the latest in a series of trips abroad in a show of defiance to the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for him in March in connection with war crimes committed in the Darfur region.
However all the countries he visited were non-parties to the Rome Statute which is the founding text of the ICC, which means they have no legal obligation to apprehend Al-Bashir on their territory.
The newspaper said that the delay by airport authorities in bringing the boarding ladder caused “severe panic” among the embattled president and his entourage.
Quoting eyewitnesses, the newspaper said the panic was exacerbated by the sight of chartered plane with a US flag close to Al-Bashir’s plane.
Prior to the Bashir’s trips abroad since the arrest warrant, Sudanese officials have expressed fears that a Western power would attempt an operation to arrest him through military bases in Africa. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
‘The Reporter’ independent daily which is published in native Amharic language said that the Sudanese delegation headed by Bashir was stuck in the presidential jet at Mekele Airport waiting for the boarding ladder.
Al-Bashir had arrived to lead Sudan at the meetings of the supreme joint committee co-chaired by the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
The Sudanese head of state visit to Ethiopia was the latest in a series of trips abroad in a show of defiance to the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for him in March in connection with war crimes committed in the Darfur region.
However all the countries he visited were non-parties to the Rome Statute which is the founding text of the ICC, which means they have no legal obligation to apprehend Al-Bashir on their territory.
The newspaper said that the delay by airport authorities in bringing the boarding ladder caused “severe panic” among the embattled president and his entourage.
Quoting eyewitnesses, the newspaper said the panic was exacerbated by the sight of chartered plane with a US flag close to Al-Bashir’s plane.
Prior to the Bashir’s trips abroad since the arrest warrant, Sudanese officials have expressed fears that a Western power would attempt an operation to arrest him through military bases in Africa. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Sudan: Is Judgment Day Near for Omar Al-Bashir?
Mahmood Mamdani's recent article Beware of human rights fundamentalism substantively goes through the reasoning the author has repeatedly made over the past few years regarding the Darfur imbroglio. This time he is offering gratuitous advice to former South African President Thabo Mbeki about the arguments he should make to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and interested parties on how to deal with the African Union's (AU) call for him to negotiate a postponement of the ICC's indictment of Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir.
Leading a panel and mandated by the AU, Mbeki has started work on a possible African-led resolution of the crisis in Darfur. The panel has been advised by AU members to call for a year's deferment of the process of the ICC war crimes indictments against Sudan's president. The eight-member panel includes three former African heads of state: South Africa's Thabo Mbeki, Burundi's Pierre Buyoya and Nigeria's General Abdusalam Abubakar.
During the opening session of the exercise at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa various delegates argued that the ICC indictments against President al-Bashir will in effect undermine attempts to arrange peace in Darfur. The suggestion is that deferring the ICC indictments will allow time for African-led peace efforts in Darfur to take firm shape. Mbeki argued that the AU charter claims primary authority over African peace and security issues: 'The African Union has taken the clear and unequivocal decision the continent must act not only to end war and violent conflict in Africa, but also to ensure that where war does anyway break out, all belligerents must know that war crimes, crimes against humanity and other abuses will be punished resolutely, and that a culture of impunity will not be permitted to take root and entrench itself.'
There are certainly legions of problems with the self-appointment of the ICC to sit in judgment on all of us when we are neither all in agreement with the terms of the mandate or the moral credentials of the powers that be. These are general considerations. Its use cannot be ruled out however. Slobadan Milosevic, Charles Taylor and Thomas Lubanga are clear cases in point. In the specific instance of President Omar al-Bashir and his genocidal project in Darfur, is judgment day is near?
Taking a page from the book of the South African settlement which brought apartheid to a close, Mamdani's plea on behalf of al-Bashir is that, 'The rationale was simple: where there was no victor, one would need the cooperation of the very leaders who would otherwise be charged with war crimes to end the fighting and initiate political reforms. The essence of Kempton Park can be summed up in a single phrase: forgive but do not forget. Forgive all past crimes - in plain words, immunity from prosecution - provided both sides agree to change the rules to assure political justice for the living.' In other words, the recommended course of action should be based more on political expediency than justice. There are many who would swallow this suggestion, in spite of the bad taste it leaves in the mouth. Some will also argue that in light of the history of Arab-African agreements from time immemorial in the Sudan, the peace, if it is so loosely structured, will degenerate into a 'practico-inert'. We must remember that the Kempton Park meetings formally ended apartheid. Will al-Bashir end his brutal and genocidal policies in Darfur? Kicking out humanitarian NGOs does not speak well for magnanimity and reconciliation. As Abel Alier, the Southern Sudanese former vice-president under Muhammad Ja'far Numeiri, put the case in his book with the same title, there have been 'too many agreements dishonored' Read more >>>>>>>>>>
Leading a panel and mandated by the AU, Mbeki has started work on a possible African-led resolution of the crisis in Darfur. The panel has been advised by AU members to call for a year's deferment of the process of the ICC war crimes indictments against Sudan's president. The eight-member panel includes three former African heads of state: South Africa's Thabo Mbeki, Burundi's Pierre Buyoya and Nigeria's General Abdusalam Abubakar.
During the opening session of the exercise at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa various delegates argued that the ICC indictments against President al-Bashir will in effect undermine attempts to arrange peace in Darfur. The suggestion is that deferring the ICC indictments will allow time for African-led peace efforts in Darfur to take firm shape. Mbeki argued that the AU charter claims primary authority over African peace and security issues: 'The African Union has taken the clear and unequivocal decision the continent must act not only to end war and violent conflict in Africa, but also to ensure that where war does anyway break out, all belligerents must know that war crimes, crimes against humanity and other abuses will be punished resolutely, and that a culture of impunity will not be permitted to take root and entrench itself.'
There are certainly legions of problems with the self-appointment of the ICC to sit in judgment on all of us when we are neither all in agreement with the terms of the mandate or the moral credentials of the powers that be. These are general considerations. Its use cannot be ruled out however. Slobadan Milosevic, Charles Taylor and Thomas Lubanga are clear cases in point. In the specific instance of President Omar al-Bashir and his genocidal project in Darfur, is judgment day is near?
Taking a page from the book of the South African settlement which brought apartheid to a close, Mamdani's plea on behalf of al-Bashir is that, 'The rationale was simple: where there was no victor, one would need the cooperation of the very leaders who would otherwise be charged with war crimes to end the fighting and initiate political reforms. The essence of Kempton Park can be summed up in a single phrase: forgive but do not forget. Forgive all past crimes - in plain words, immunity from prosecution - provided both sides agree to change the rules to assure political justice for the living.' In other words, the recommended course of action should be based more on political expediency than justice. There are many who would swallow this suggestion, in spite of the bad taste it leaves in the mouth. Some will also argue that in light of the history of Arab-African agreements from time immemorial in the Sudan, the peace, if it is so loosely structured, will degenerate into a 'practico-inert'. We must remember that the Kempton Park meetings formally ended apartheid. Will al-Bashir end his brutal and genocidal policies in Darfur? Kicking out humanitarian NGOs does not speak well for magnanimity and reconciliation. As Abel Alier, the Southern Sudanese former vice-president under Muhammad Ja'far Numeiri, put the case in his book with the same title, there have been 'too many agreements dishonored' Read more >>>>>>>>>>
Darfur refugees urge AU to pursue Beshir arrest
N'DJAMENA (AFP) — Sudenese refugees urged a high-level African Union mission to speed up the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for President Omar al-Beshir for war crimes, Chadian state radio said Friday.
Refugees at a camp in Djabal in the east of Chad accused Beshir of causing "genocide, rape and pillage" and said they would not return to Darfur until peace is established between Khartoum and N'Djamena, the station added.
Their plea came as they met an AU delegation led by South African ex-president Thabo Mbeki, former Nigerian president Abdusalami Abubakar and Pierre Buyoya, the ex-Burundian president.
The delegation travelled to the east Chadian towns of Abeche, Goz Beida and Djabal on Thursday as part of its efforts to help broker peace talks in neighbouring Sudan's Darfur province, the radio station added.
Diplomatic relations between Chad and Sudan are severely strained, with each accusing the other of supporting rebel movements in its territory.
Several hundred Sudanese refugees have fled across the border to escape the conflict in Darfur, for which the international community has largely blamed the Khartoum government.
The ICC on March 4 issued the warrant to arrest Beshir for alleged crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
Refugees at a camp in Djabal in the east of Chad accused Beshir of causing "genocide, rape and pillage" and said they would not return to Darfur until peace is established between Khartoum and N'Djamena, the station added.
Their plea came as they met an AU delegation led by South African ex-president Thabo Mbeki, former Nigerian president Abdusalami Abubakar and Pierre Buyoya, the ex-Burundian president.
The delegation travelled to the east Chadian towns of Abeche, Goz Beida and Djabal on Thursday as part of its efforts to help broker peace talks in neighbouring Sudan's Darfur province, the radio station added.
Diplomatic relations between Chad and Sudan are severely strained, with each accusing the other of supporting rebel movements in its territory.
Several hundred Sudanese refugees have fled across the border to escape the conflict in Darfur, for which the international community has largely blamed the Khartoum government.
The ICC on March 4 issued the warrant to arrest Beshir for alleged crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Five members of congress arrested at Darfur protest
Reporters had been forewarned by the Save Darfur Coalition that Monday’s protest, featuring a handful of House Democrats, would involve “civil disobedience.”
And sure enough, Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Donna Edwards (D-Md.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) wandered past the official police line at the Sudanese Embassy in Washington on Monday morning — and were gently cuffed and carted away by the Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting foreign dignitaries.
The five — who were protesting deteriorating human rights conditions in Sudan — were held on misdemeanor trespassing charges and released in time for their afternoon votes, a Woolsey representative said.
Lewis — a legendary civil rights leader who was severely beaten by racists in the early 1960s in Alabama — issued a brief statement prior to his arrest:
“I don’t understand how the world can just stand by and watch the slaughter of innocent victims in Darfur,” he said. “Haven’t we learned the hard lessons of Rwanda and Bosnia, of the Holocaust?” Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Darfur Week to Raise Genocide Awareness
Gustavus Adolphus College will host a series of events and activities during the week of Monday, April 20 to raise awareness of genocide. The week is titled “Darfur Week: Protect, Prevent, Prosecute, Remember.”
The week’s scheduled events will begin Monday, April 20 with Camp Darfur, a traveling refugee camp that highlights the history and consequences of genocide in the 20th and 21st centuries. The exhibit will be set up on Eckman Mall outside of the College’s C. Charles Jackson Campus Center.
Gabriel Stauring and Katie-Jay Scott, directors of Camp Darfur and the grassroots organization Stop Genocide Now, will speak throughout the day. Both Stauring and Scott have visited and worked at refugee camps on the border of Sudan and Chad. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The week’s scheduled events will begin Monday, April 20 with Camp Darfur, a traveling refugee camp that highlights the history and consequences of genocide in the 20th and 21st centuries. The exhibit will be set up on Eckman Mall outside of the College’s C. Charles Jackson Campus Center.
Gabriel Stauring and Katie-Jay Scott, directors of Camp Darfur and the grassroots organization Stop Genocide Now, will speak throughout the day. Both Stauring and Scott have visited and worked at refugee camps on the border of Sudan and Chad. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Darfur survivors stage protest
Hundreds of survivors of the ongoing crisis in Darfur gathered outside Downing Street to plea for more support in the strife-torn region.
Protesters chanted "You don't forget" in a bid to remind political leaders that millions were still facing disease, starvation and conflict.
Fatima Abdelshafi, 30, who sought asylum in the UK two years ago, said the rescue job was only half done. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
Protesters chanted "You don't forget" in a bid to remind political leaders that millions were still facing disease, starvation and conflict.
Fatima Abdelshafi, 30, who sought asylum in the UK two years ago, said the rescue job was only half done. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Nine men executed in Sudan following unfair trial
The Sudanese government executed nine people who may have been innocent on Monday. The nine men were convicted of murder, but their confessions were extracted under torture.
Amnesty International has called on the Sudanese authorities to abolish the death penalty immediately. The organization opposes the death penalty unconditionally in all situations as a violation of the right to life and the ultimate cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment.
"This case is a tragic example of what happens when an irreversible punishment such as the death penalty is applied," said Tawanda Hondora, Deputy Director of the Amnesty International's Africa Programme. "The execution of the nine men is outrageous. They were arbitrarily arrested, tortured and then subjected to an unfair trial."
The nine men executed were Ishaq Mohammed Sanousi (thought to have been 71 years old), Abdel Hay Omar, Mustafa Adam, Mohammed Birgid,Hassan Adam Fadel, Adam Ibrahim, Jamaleddin Isa, Abdel Magid Ali Abdel Magid and Sabir Hassan. They were found guilty of the murder of newspaper editor Mohamed Taha in September 2006.
All those executed on Monday had said that they had been tortured to confess to the murder and been forced to sign confessions, which were later produced in court. All 10 people retracted their confessions in court, but the Appeal Court accepted the confessions as evidence against them to issue them with the death penalty.
Defence lawyers asked for medical examinations into their torture, but these were refused, even though many of those arrested carried marks of torture on their bodies. Read more >>>>>>>>>>
Amnesty International is concerned that the use of torture to extract confessions is built into the Sudanese system of justice by Article 10(i) of the Law of Evidence of 1993, which states that "… evidence is not dismissed solely because it has been obtained through an improper procedure, if the court is satisfied that it is independent and admissible".
Amnesty International has called on the Sudanese authorities to abolish the death penalty immediately. The organization opposes the death penalty unconditionally in all situations as a violation of the right to life and the ultimate cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment.
"This case is a tragic example of what happens when an irreversible punishment such as the death penalty is applied," said Tawanda Hondora, Deputy Director of the Amnesty International's Africa Programme. "The execution of the nine men is outrageous. They were arbitrarily arrested, tortured and then subjected to an unfair trial."
The nine men executed were Ishaq Mohammed Sanousi (thought to have been 71 years old), Abdel Hay Omar, Mustafa Adam, Mohammed Birgid,Hassan Adam Fadel, Adam Ibrahim, Jamaleddin Isa, Abdel Magid Ali Abdel Magid and Sabir Hassan. They were found guilty of the murder of newspaper editor Mohamed Taha in September 2006.
All those executed on Monday had said that they had been tortured to confess to the murder and been forced to sign confessions, which were later produced in court. All 10 people retracted their confessions in court, but the Appeal Court accepted the confessions as evidence against them to issue them with the death penalty.
Defence lawyers asked for medical examinations into their torture, but these were refused, even though many of those arrested carried marks of torture on their bodies. Read more >>>>>>>>>>
Amnesty International is concerned that the use of torture to extract confessions is built into the Sudanese system of justice by Article 10(i) of the Law of Evidence of 1993, which states that "… evidence is not dismissed solely because it has been obtained through an improper procedure, if the court is satisfied that it is independent and admissible".
Friday, April 10, 2009
Dead man walking
By Yilma Bekele
"Why, O my friends, did ye so often puff me up, telling me that I was fortunate? For he that is fallen low did never firmly stand."
— Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy
When the prison guard shouts: Dead man walking! You step aside. The guard is warning people that the inmate walking by is on death row and he has nothing to lose by killing you. You just step out of the way and let the dead man keep his date with destiny.
The President of Sudan General Bashir is a dead man walking. He has a date with the International Criminal Court (ICC). A year ago ICC warned the General that his actions in Darfur were a cause for concern. Human Right watch put him on notice. Amnesty international said Al bashir was abusing his authority.
General Bashir was intoxicated with power. The General with the brain of a foot solder was not in any mood to listen to reason. He told his army full speed ahead. Scorched-earth policy of raping, killing and destroying villages was in effect. Why would he listen to a bunch of ‘liars’ bent in tarnishing his image?
He has friends. He is famous. He is the president of Sudan. He doesn’t have to listen to anybody. He has always said the western colonialists are out to get him. So what if they complain? General bashir is smart. Now that he has oil, he is rich too. They want his oil and those greedy westerners will not lift a finger against him. Especially since his newfound friends the Chinese are not concerned with such trivia as Darfur or human right he is safe. That is right he will play his Chinese hand no one will touch him. Not to mention that he is also surrounded with good honorable friends. No one can ask for better criminal neighbors than Eritrea, Ethiopia, Egypt and Libya.
So ICC in its slow and deliberative process went ahead gathering information, interviewing victims and buttressing the case. There was no hysteria here. ICC knew this process couldn’t be hurried. Accusing someone of genocide, torture, and human rights abuse is a grave matter. Warning shots were fired for those who can hear. Close friends of the tyrant were briefed. The media was kept in the loop. Al Bashir due to his unsurpassed ability to bully the Sudanese people was not to be bothered by some prosecutor in far away Europe.
The African Union and fellow tyrants were recruited to warn the ICC of the dire consequences if an indictment was returned. Delegates were sent to European capitals to explain how democracy works in Africa. The Ethiopian Foreign Minster appealed to Turkey to stop this process. It was said that Africans have their own solution and it cannot be hurried. In the mean time Al Bashir kept busy by denying the scope of his crimes, accusing the court of lack of jurisdiction and insulting the prosecutor as unrepentant colonialist hell bent on interfering in the internal affairs of Sudan. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Why, O my friends, did ye so often puff me up, telling me that I was fortunate? For he that is fallen low did never firmly stand."
— Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy
When the prison guard shouts: Dead man walking! You step aside. The guard is warning people that the inmate walking by is on death row and he has nothing to lose by killing you. You just step out of the way and let the dead man keep his date with destiny.
The President of Sudan General Bashir is a dead man walking. He has a date with the International Criminal Court (ICC). A year ago ICC warned the General that his actions in Darfur were a cause for concern. Human Right watch put him on notice. Amnesty international said Al bashir was abusing his authority.
General Bashir was intoxicated with power. The General with the brain of a foot solder was not in any mood to listen to reason. He told his army full speed ahead. Scorched-earth policy of raping, killing and destroying villages was in effect. Why would he listen to a bunch of ‘liars’ bent in tarnishing his image?
He has friends. He is famous. He is the president of Sudan. He doesn’t have to listen to anybody. He has always said the western colonialists are out to get him. So what if they complain? General bashir is smart. Now that he has oil, he is rich too. They want his oil and those greedy westerners will not lift a finger against him. Especially since his newfound friends the Chinese are not concerned with such trivia as Darfur or human right he is safe. That is right he will play his Chinese hand no one will touch him. Not to mention that he is also surrounded with good honorable friends. No one can ask for better criminal neighbors than Eritrea, Ethiopia, Egypt and Libya.
So ICC in its slow and deliberative process went ahead gathering information, interviewing victims and buttressing the case. There was no hysteria here. ICC knew this process couldn’t be hurried. Accusing someone of genocide, torture, and human rights abuse is a grave matter. Warning shots were fired for those who can hear. Close friends of the tyrant were briefed. The media was kept in the loop. Al Bashir due to his unsurpassed ability to bully the Sudanese people was not to be bothered by some prosecutor in far away Europe.
The African Union and fellow tyrants were recruited to warn the ICC of the dire consequences if an indictment was returned. Delegates were sent to European capitals to explain how democracy works in Africa. The Ethiopian Foreign Minster appealed to Turkey to stop this process. It was said that Africans have their own solution and it cannot be hurried. In the mean time Al Bashir kept busy by denying the scope of his crimes, accusing the court of lack of jurisdiction and insulting the prosecutor as unrepentant colonialist hell bent on interfering in the internal affairs of Sudan. Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Court prosecutor: isolate Sudan's president
By MIKE CORDER - Associated Press Writer
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court's deputy prosecutor urged world leaders on Tuesday to cut ties with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the court for alleged war crimes in Darfur.
The U.N.-backed tribunal issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir last month on charges including genocide for allegedly orchestrating efforts to wipe out three African tribes in his oil-rich country's Darfur region.
Since then, al-Bashir has made a series of trips to neighboring African countries and an Arab League summit in Qatar. He also expelled 13 major relief organizations from Darfur - a move denounced around the world.
The international court has no police force and relies on other countries to execute arrest warrants.
The 22-member Arab League said, however, it decided not to enforce the warrant when al-Bashir attended the Qatar summit March 30, as many Arab and African countries have said pursuing al-Bashir could further destabilize the region.
The court's deputy prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, urged nations to "deny Omar al-Bashir any form of support."
"States should implement a consistent diplomatic campaign to support the court's decision," she told diplomats in The Hague. "Nonessential contacts with Omar al-Bashir should be severed." Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court's deputy prosecutor urged world leaders on Tuesday to cut ties with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the court for alleged war crimes in Darfur.
The U.N.-backed tribunal issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir last month on charges including genocide for allegedly orchestrating efforts to wipe out three African tribes in his oil-rich country's Darfur region.
Since then, al-Bashir has made a series of trips to neighboring African countries and an Arab League summit in Qatar. He also expelled 13 major relief organizations from Darfur - a move denounced around the world.
The international court has no police force and relies on other countries to execute arrest warrants.
The 22-member Arab League said, however, it decided not to enforce the warrant when al-Bashir attended the Qatar summit March 30, as many Arab and African countries have said pursuing al-Bashir could further destabilize the region.
The court's deputy prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, urged nations to "deny Omar al-Bashir any form of support."
"States should implement a consistent diplomatic campaign to support the court's decision," she told diplomats in The Hague. "Nonessential contacts with Omar al-Bashir should be severed." Read more >>>>>>>>>>>>>
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