Daily Darfur
Daily Darfur: Violence in Darfur & Voices from Darfur
Published June 29, 2009 @ 08:17AM PT
Violent clashes throughout Sudan
There are reports of bombing in North Darfur:
Fighters from the insurgent Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) said military planes bombed land they controlled near the settlement of Hashaba in remote North Darfur around midday on Saturday.
And in South Kordofan, a hot-spot on the North Sudan - South Sudan border,
clashes took place between Nuba and Misseriya tribesmen, Hamid al-Samani, a member of Sudan’s parliament who represents the region, said.
"Six people died in the clashes and 30 were injured," he said.
Hearing from Darfuris
Darfuris in the US gathered in Philadelphia this weekend to discuss their advocacy and their hopes for peace in Darfur.
At Making Sense of Darfur, Alex de Waal discusses the role of Darfuri civil society in the African Union Panel on Darfur.
Daily Darfur: Lots of advice edition
Published June 26, 2009 @ 07:18AM PT
Advice
The Sudan Liberation Army/Movement released an open letter to African leaders, urging their support for marginalized people in Sudan:
It’s high time that democracy - oriented African countries and their progressive-minded leaders to know that our people in the marginalized areas in Southern Sudan, Blue Nile, South Kordofan, Eastern Sudan, Abei and Darfur Region have been struggling for years to decentralize the system of governing in the country. The conflicts are the reflection of total rejection of the center-dominated by North Sudan elites since the independent of the country to share wealth and power with others.
Meanwhile, former South African president Thabo Mbeki is pushing for Darfuri Arabs to be included in peace talks:
"The negotiations have got to involve everybody who is relevant to the creation of peace in Darfur," said Mbeki, who heads an African Union panel of former heads of state that is due to report back to the bloc's Peace and Security Council later this summer.
"Certainly the Arab tribes are one of the constituencies that has to be involved," added Mbeki.
Violence and death
At Making Sense of Darfur, Eric Reeves asks interesting questions about what constitutes a "violent" death in Darfur.
Daily Darfur: Failed states, murder convictions & child soldiers
Published June 25, 2009 @ 08:01AM PT
The Fund for Peace recently released their "Failed States Index" - a revealing look at some of the most vulnerable countries in the world.
In Foreign Policy's coverage of the index, they offer an interesting "definition" of failed states:
After all, as Tolstoy might have put it, every failing state is failing in its own way ... Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are failing because their governments are chronically weak to nonexistent; Zimbabwe and Burma are failing because their governments are strong enough to choke the life out of their societies.
Sudan and its neighbor Chad weigh in at number 3 and 4 on the list (Sudan is down from #1 for the past two years).
The conflicts that have placed Sudan among the top five states in the Failed States Index for the last four years continued into 2008. The largest country in Africa has rarely seen peace since its independence in 1956, and many think the window of opportunity for conflict resolution is rapidly closing. The crisis in Darfur (in western Sudan) continued unabated.
Daily Darfur: Peace in Sudan - "We cannot do it alone"
Published June 24, 2009 @ 10:17AM PT
The Washington, DC conference on Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement continued yesterday, with remarks from high-level US government officials. The Washington Post has a overview of the conference so far.
Urging Darfur movements to get on board the peace process, Senator Kerry said, " Time is opportune for those movements leaders to quit the Western capitals and work for peace," adding, " President Obama is personally concerned with peace in Sudan." "There are prominent Republican figures and Congress members who are in agreement with Obama's stance."
...we have to set a foundation for Sudan for peace, security, and prosperity. But we cannot do it alone. It’s going to take everybody working together. And we’ll need your efforts once again, your commitments to ensure that we’re able to create an environment where the parties in Sudan can fully implement the CPA and achieve a long term, a lasting peace for their people.
Daily Darfur: The Search for Comprehensive Peace in Sudan
Published June 23, 2009 @ 07:22AM PT
Yesterday evening representatives from north and south Sudan convened in Washington, DC for a conference to discuss implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which was signed in 2005, ending the decades long north-south civil war.
"To prevent a return to war and promote peace throughout all of Sudan, including Darfur, the U.S. and the international community must ensure that the CPA is fully implemented." - from Refugees International's statement on the conference
Reuters has a helpful Q&A on the conference, asking (and answering) such questions as:
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE SUMMIT?
Any return to civil war in Sudan would have a disastrous effect on the country, its oil industry [...] and surrounding states.
Sudan's two-decade civil war between its Muslim north and its mostly Christian south dwarfed the more prominent Darfur conflict in terms of bloodshed and regional impact.
Two million people died and 4 million fled their homes between 1983 and 2005 as north and south Sudan battled out differences in ideology, ethnicity and religion.
The Enough Project released a paper - "Sudan: The Countdown" - explaining the significance of this meeting, and outlining the elements needed to achieve further implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
Daily Darfur: Peace Talks, Refugees and Weddings
Published June 22, 2009 @ 05:49AM PT
Peace Talks Postponed
AFP reports that peace talks in Doha, Qatar which began in February, then again in May have been suspended for two months. Rebels are demanding a prisoner exchange, while the Government of Sudan wants a ceasefire agreement in place.
"The talks are suspended or postponed ... the goodwill agreement has to be implemented before we go forward," senior JEM official Tahir al-Feki told AFP.
World Refugee Day Round-up
Saturday was World Refugee Day, and if you missed the live webcast check back at UNCHR's site www.refugeedaylive.org within the next few days to find archived clips, or see behind the scenes from Stop Genocide Now's participation in the event from Chad.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton marked the day, noting:
Around the world today, millions of people endure war, genocide, famine and natural disasters. Often, they are forced to flee in search of safety, seeking temporary shelter until they can return home and rebuild their lives. But for many refugees and other displaced people, the homes they loved are gone forever...
Daily Darfur: Torture, genocide and a plea from Cairo
Published June 19, 2009 @ 06:48AM PT
Updates
The United Nation's Human Rights Council voted to extend the term of an independent investigator/Special Rapporteur for Sudan for another year. Well, most of the council voted to extend the mandate - those who didn't include: China, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.
A State Department spokesman responded to yesterday's comments by Special Envoy Gration, saying:
I think there is no question that genocide has taken place in Darfur. We continue to characterize the circumstances in Darfur as genocide. What the President continues to demand is that we resolve this humanitarian disaster. And the special envoy is doing just that. Scott Gration, who briefed you yesterday, he has spent a lot of time on the ground in Sudan. I think, as he acknowledged yesterday, there is less violence as a result of coordinated government actions than has existed in the past. And our goal in Sudan is to save lives, facilitate a lasting peace, and promote stability and security in the region.
Torture
Amnesty International issued an action alert (PDF) yesterday, asking people to protest the detention of Abakar Ibrahim Adam and a group of other Darfuri people who were arrested after protesting against the execution of nine Darfuri men. They are now known to be still in custody and are at risk of torture.
From around the blogs:
Bec Hamilton posted a short and powerful "plea from Cairo" - a powerpoint presentation created by a refugee currently living in Cairo. Please check it out.
