(The Hague, November 12, 2008) - International Criminal Court (ICC) member countries should speak up to support the court's independence and mandate during their annual meeting beginning November 14, 2008, Human Rights Watch said today. They should also pledge increased international cooperation on arrest warrants and should resolve to carry out arrests in the coming year.
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Last week, we posted a story about comments from the president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir. Yes, the same one who is committing genocide to the people in Darfur. I thought it was weird that he would show his face in a summit, and make charges against the international community. I also thought it was weird that he was the chair of this group's summit.We found this commentary on the international community turning a blind eye to the killings in Sudan. In fact, the international groups still put this killer in charge of things. And some very important things at that. from The New Republic But the largest and most influential group of developing nations has added an ill-considered and wholly gratuitous burden to the challenges of the MDG: they have selected the Sudan government, which continues...
from Reuters AfricaBy David LewisACCRA (Reuters) - Sudan's president, accused of genocide in Darfur by the West, said rich countries were bullying the planet's poorest states into accepting bad terms of trade and warned of a "looming Cold War".Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who faces a possible International Criminal Court (ICC) indictment for war crimes in Sudan's Darfur, used an African, Caribbean, Pacific (ACP) summit to criticise "power politics" in international relations."Small and poor states, which constitute the majority of ACP membership, are exposed to threats of aggression, interference, subversion, blackmail, pressures of all kinds and the dicta of the rich and the powerful," Bashir, the outgoing chairman of the ACP group, said in a speech to the summit in Ghana.He and his...
from the Dallas Morning News Here's a story on Darfur, a rally in Dallas took place reciently that supported the indictment of the Sudan's president. Also here is a link to video of the rally. - KaleBy JEFFREY WEISS Zeddim Dawelbit telephoned his sister Thursday, back in his genocide-wracked homeland of Darfur. When he asked her about how things were going, she started to cry, he said.“She told me not to ask about Darfur. ‘Just tell me what it’s like there,’ ” Mr. Dawelbit told a loosely organized Dallas rally to support an indictment of Sudan’s president by the International Criminal Court.About 60 people assembled around a statue of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. today. Most were originally from Darfur, the western region of Sudan where American and international...
Suicide (n) - The most preventable type of death.
This is the ongoing story of a species whose leaders have a death wish, and whose members at large mostly don’t. Also, sometimes they got to wondering what should be done about a large geopolitical concentration of fellow beings operating under the brand name “China”.
(9) What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. (10) Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. (11) There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow. - Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 (NIV)
Glenn Hurowitz recently wondered who’s going to...
from the MirrorBy Ros WynneFatima Gamar cradles her son Saleh against the dust, singing to him softly.At four months old Saleh is one of the newest additions to Gassire, an emergency settlement for Chadians made homeless by war."He hates the dust," Fatima says. "It makes his eyes sore." She shrugs, gesturing towards her own thin frame. "And he is hungry."She pulls her shawl around the sleeping face of her little boy, a baby born dependent on international aid.AdvertisementClick here to find out more!Saleh means "good" or "right". He is a precious gift in a sea of loss for 23-year-old Fatima, whose once happy life has been devastated by war.Three years ago, her first husband, Issac, was killed in a raid on their village by Janjaweed - the word locals use for Arab militias, which means...
from The Associated PressUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. humanitarian chief warned that terrible atrocities and urban warfare were engulfing Somalia's capital and called for a large increase in aid to handle a burgeoning population of refugees fleeing Mogadishu.Undersecretary-General John Holmes also painted a grim picture of conditions for millions of people uprooted across the Somali border in Ethiopia's Ogaden province — which faces possible famine — and in Sudan's Darfur region, where violence continues.In Somalia, he said, the U.N. estimates that more than half of the population of the capital, Mogadishu, — about 600,000 people — have fled an upsurge in violence and intimidation.Holmes said 230,000 are now living along a 9-mile stretch of road between the capital, Mogadishu,...
from Reuters South Africa By Claudia ParsonsNEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council may need to meet within weeks to consider new sanctions against Sudan unless Khartoum quickly accepts a U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur, a top U.S. diplomat said on Monday.But some experts at a conference on Darfur said the peacekeeping force could be a waste of money or even an "occupation" force, and they urged more effort to address extreme poverty as the cause of the Darfur crisis. The Security Council decided unanimously in July to send peacekeepers to stem the violence in Darfur, a vast western province of Sudan where some 200,000 people have died in 4-1/2 years of fighting.But now Sudan was throwing up obstacles and failing to meet its commitments, U.S. Ambassador to the...
from the San Francisco ChronicleShane BauerRebels from the Sudan Liberation Army-Unity faction sit s... A woman serves tea in a bustling weekly market in Diesa, ... An SLA rebel fighter sits next to an unexploded bomb drop... A U.N. refugee agency helicopter takes off from Bir Maza,... More...In August, people with their eyes on Darfur breathed a sigh of relief - their desperate calls for the world to "do something" had finally been answered. The United Nations had approved a hybrid force with the African Union to enter the war-ravaged region by the end of the year. Soon enough, 26,000 troops would be on the ground, and people would no longer have to hide under trees or put out their fires at night whenever planes flew overhead.Darfuris want intervention as soon as possible, but few see...
from Arabian Business by Joel Bowman Environmental issues, such as the lack of potable water and arable land, are the driving forces behind much of the world's conflict, according to renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs."Mankind's impact on the environment is unprecedented. Humans are changing the earth in a way that threatens our collective survival more even than war," Sachs told attendees at The Gate Lecture on the fourth night of the Dubai Invernational Financial Centre (DIFC) Week.Environmental problems invariably lead to political ones, observed Sachs, citing the ongoing catastrophe in Darfur - caused primarily by a shortage of water – as a prime example. Sachs also made reference to the violent instability in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan as examples of systemic...
from The RepublicanBy DAVID A. VALLETTEdvallette@repub.comCONWAY - Until Nicholas Anderson went on a school field trip in May 2006, his life was rather local.He has certainly branched out since.That trip, with a humanities class at Northfield-Mount Hermon School, was to South Africa."It opened my eyes; it inspired me to get involved," said the Conway teenager last week.What he witnessed, he said, was a high level of poverty.When he returned home, he decided to immediately begin trying to make a difference. He chose the Internet and Oxfam America as his vehicles, and focused on Darfur in the Sudan as a place in need.Oxfam is working to provide drinking water delivery systems and building materials to help the estimated 2.5 million people in Darfur who have lost their homes - victims of...
from AM 940 NewsDene Moore, THE CANADIAN PRESSMONTREAL - Canada and the rest of the western world have failed the people of Darfur in "deplorable" fashion, actress Mia Farrow said Friday.Farrow noted Canada's commitment to peacekeeping and said the international community has come to expect Canada to answer a call for help."There has been a silence from Canada," Farrow, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, told reporters following a speech at the Millennium Summit, a gathering aimed at promoting peace and poverty reduction."Where are you Canada?"The actress urged political leaders in Ottawa and around the world to take action."Perhaps Stephen Harper has not stood up in the way that he could," she said of the prime minister."He is not alone. All of the nations of the world have failed the people...
from the Voice of AmericaBy Naomi SchwarzDakarAn ongoing scandal over attempts to put African childrenup for adoption overseas amid questions of where the children comefrom and whether they have families has raised a debate about child welfare in Africa. Would these children be better off with adopted families in the West? In Dakar, Naomi Schwarz looks at the questions being asked amid the latest controversy.The organization Zoe's Ark calls itself a refuge for children. Their website opens with a somber video of the devastation in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, saying a child there dies every five minutes.Saying it is determined to help these children, several months ago the group sent a team to Chad, the country that borders Darfur. After a failed attempt to take a group of alleged...
from the Voice of AmericaBy Lisa SchleinGenevaThe International Committee of the Red Cross says it has delivered the first emergency aid to thousands of people who fled clashes in Haskanita, North Darfur in late September. An armed opposition group attacked African Union peacekeepers in the Sudanese town on September 29 and 30, provoking the exodus. Lisa Schlein reports from ICRC headquarters in Geneva.More than 5,000 people fled their homes following the attack. Spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Anna Schaaf, says they have been living under very difficult conditions in the countryside and villages around Haskanita."They had to give up their homes and all of their belongings and they have been basically living without shelter, living under trees for some of...
from Al JazeeraDespite a peace deal being established in 2005, many people in the south of Sudan are frustrated at the slow pace of change after a 21-year civil war.Instead there is a growing awareness that any future lies away from Sudan and close to their African neighbours.Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall has been to southern Sudan to assess progress there.There are currently 10,000 UN peacekeepers in southern Sudan to enforce the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed between the government in the north and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the south.As part of the deal the south has been given six years to move to self-government, after which they are required to hold a referendum to decide whether to secede from Sudan.One benefit of the peace deal is that the profits from...
from the Voice of America By Lisa Schlein The International Committee of the Red Cross says it has delivered the first emergency aid to thousands of people who fled clashes in Haskanita, North Darfur in late September. An armed opposition group attacked African Union peacekeepers in the Sudanese town on September 29 and 30, provoking the exodus. Lisa Schlein reports from ICRC headquarters in Geneva.More than 5,000 people fled their homes following the attack. Spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Anna Schaaf, says they have been living under very difficult conditions in the countryside and villages around Haskanita."They had to give up their homes and all of their belongings and they have been basically living without shelter, living under trees for some of them....
from The Whittier Daily NewsBy Robert S. Hong, Staff WriterPASADENA - Local students are doing their part to help out humanity and improve their health by taking money they would normally spend on junk food and sending it to Darfur, Sudan.The program, "Power of a Penny," is being held in several Pasadena classrooms. It was created three years ago by former Pasadena human relations commissioner Nat Nehdar."This can empower them to be a part of humanity," Nehdar said, looking through a door window at a class of fifth-graders at Field Elementary School on Friday.An avid social activist, Nehdar has made it his life's mission to combat youth violence and get students involved in charitable efforts.He has lectured students around the city about tolerance and charity and is presently working...
from The Times OnlineA new star-studded pop video highlighting the crisis in Darfur is the latest celebrity foray into world affairs. It’s not just posing, they can make a differenceMartin WroeMatt Damon holds up a plain white card that reads “Stop”. He turns over another card, “The Killing”. And another, “Now”. Archbishop Desmond Tutu follows suit: “Ceasefire”. “Now”. “Don’t Look Away”.The actress Scarlett Johansson and supermodel Elle Macpherson reinforce the message with more starkly worded cards, as do rap superstar Kanye West and Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas. Mick Jagger isn’t on camera, he’s behind it – famously careful about his fortune, he’s put up £25,000 to bankroll this first pop video to be shot in a refugee camp.The crisis in Darfur,...
from the SABCThe hybrid UN/AU peace keeping force in Darfur will be the most expensive mission ever under-taken by international organisations. Several advocacy groups and NGOs that work in Darfur, told the US Congress that it will cost an estimated $3.4 billion for the first year alone, to maintain it.Organisations that work in Darfur say the more the implementation of the UN Security Council’s resolution 1769, which authorizes the deployment of the hybrid force is delayed, the higher the cost of the mission will become. They say they are already working under enomous pressure from the warring factions and are also putting lives of their employees at risk.A senior policy advisor for the humanitarian organisation Oxfam, Scott Stedjan, says: "Humanitarian vehicles are hijacked, staff are...
from The Daily TargumBy skipping meals sunrise to sunset, participants give funds for humanitarian aid in Darfur, SudanBy: Esther Liu / Contributing WriterNon-Muslims at the University will fast for a cause Oct. 9 during Fast-A-Thon, a charity event seeking to raise funds for the people in Darfur, Sudan.The event - whose tagline is "Skip a Meal, Save a Life" - coincides with Ramadan, an Islamic religious holiday where Muslims all over the world are required to fast from sunrise until sunset for an entire month."We select a charity every year and we raise money for that charity by asking members of the Rutgers community here - students, faculty and staff - to pledge to fast for a day from dawn to dusk, sunrise to sunset," said Usker Naqvi, head of public relations for SALAM, the Muslim...
from All AfricaVanguard (Lagos)NEWSBy Kingsley OmonobiAbujaTEN Nigerian soldiers serving in Darfur, Sudan have been confirmed missing.They are among the 40 peace keeping soldiers missing after rebels of a splinter group in the Darfur crisis attacked an African Union camp in the area on Saturday, killing scores of peacekeepers.Seven Nigerian soldiers were killed during the attack while another seven were critically wounded from gunshots sustained when the AU peacekeepers decided to fight their way out of the attack.Confirming the development in a telephone chat with Vanguard yesterday, Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Giwa Amu, denied that nine Nigerian soldiers lost their lives in the attack, saying the soldiers were killed at Sector 8, located in Haskenita in western Darfur.He...
French aid group Medecins du Monde announced it was suspending operations in Darfur due to insecurity. The organization had been operating in the region since...
Although reported on earlier in this blog, this week Action Contre La Faim (Action Against Hunger) confirmed an international staff member was raped and several others were sexually assaulted during a December incident in Gereida. Additional information on past assault incidents and some supposed reasons why this hasn't been more widely reported is included. Does your organization stock HIV/AIDS PEP (Post Exposure Protection) kits and have policies and procedures in place for their use?Reuters has a good summary article on the current levels of insecurity in Sudan entitled, Attacks on aid groups cripple Darfur relief.Darfur is an interesting case study from a high-level, security management standpoint. I know of at least one large NGO that was advised to suspend operations in Darfur due...
Local police and security officials raided an international non-governmental organization compound in Nyala and arrested 20 people, including five United Nations staff members, staff of the African Union Mission in Sudan and NGO personnel. Several of those arrested sustained during their detention serious injuries which required treatment at the United Nations clinic. All personnel were subsequently released. More here and...
"UN agencies issued an unprecedented joint appeal on Wednesday calling for an end to the violence in Darfur, where widespread attacks and insecurity threaten to collapse the world's largest aid operation." More here and...
Article on how the Janjaweed in Darfur are changing their appearance by dressing like soldiers to better blend in. A good example of the importance of frequent reassessment to determine if threats may have changed - in this case a threat that's still present, but looks...
The UN evacuated 71 staff members after gunmen raided several humanitarian compounds at the Gereida camp (Darfur's largest, with over 130,00 refugees). Vehicles, radios, money and equipment were stolen during the attack. No staff members were injured. The incident is being viewed as the single biggest attack on aid workers to date in the troubled area.This marks the eighth evacuation for UN staff in the Darfur region this...
Oxfam and IRC press releases on the worsening situation in Darfur, with a number of mentions of recent humanitarian organization security...
Oxfam press release on the impact Darfur violence is having on humanitarian efforts with a list of security incidents that have taken place so far in...
A truck contracted by Medair carrying medical supplies was attacked near the village of Sirba, in West Darfur. The vehicle was shot at and caught fire. No Medair staff were present during the incident, but it is reported up to 30 civilians traveling with the truck may have been killed during the...