Recently in Sudan Category

The Obama administration pledged to regularly evaluate the progress of peace in Sudan--or lack thereof.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that "backsliding by any party will be met with credible pressure in the form of disincentives leveraged by our government and our international partners."
UN Ambassador Susan Rice underscored that "there will be significant consequences for parties that backslide or simply stand still. All parties will be held to account."

 Six leading human rights and Sudan advocacy groups are keeping the Administration on its toes and have produced a rigorous analysis of leading indicators across nine overarching categories of benchmarks. Its not good.

Vote-fixing in an election lacking any credibility has galvanised opposition in the North and may undermine the ruling party

A beaming President Omer Hassan Ahmed el Beshir waved his stick triumphantly as his victory was announced in Khartoum on 26 April. Yet the ruling National Congress Party faces a succession of challenges after what many African and Western officials call deeply flawed elections - though mainly in private. The divided and formerly supine Northern opposition now looks determined to continue the struggle triggered by the polls.

 (AP photo)

•  Regime gains dubious legitimacy - but don't expect democracy any time soon
• West treats regime's rigged victory as a down-payment on a Southern referendum

Long before voting started on 11 April, it was clear that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in Khartoum would maintain its iron grip on power and that interested governments would accept this, despite the widespread evidence of fraud produced by Sudanese and foreign observers alike (AC Vol 51 No 7). The opposition decision to boycott spoiled the plan.

For Khartoum, internationally accepted elections would counter the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omer Hassan Ahmed el Beshir. For Western governments, the elections were an essential building block in an orchestrated peace process which would culminate in next year's referendum on independence for Southern Sudan.

An interactive map in Mother Jones Magazine of the celebrity recolonization of Africa.

OVERSIZED SHADES have replaced pith helmets, writes By Dave Gilson in Mother Jones Magazine, but the new scramble for Africa has its share of adventurers, would-be saviors, and even turf battles. As Madonna's publicist explains, "She's focusing on Malawi. South Africa is Oprah's territory."

The map below takes a lighter look at the sometimes serious, sometimes silly business of celebrity altruism. For more on how Africa became the hottest continent for A-list do-gooders like Bono and Brangelina, see here. And if you're looking for a more sober approach, check out Mother Jones' recent package on human rights.

The Enough Project has drawn attention to this ominous development at a time when it is also warning about the militia's attacks on civilians in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Update: Mia Farrow on the LRA

Comment


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?

Slideshow from Jebel Marra

By Zack Brisson & Laura Heaton of the Enough Poject

Four years ago, asking the President of the United States a meaningful question would have required serious power, uncommon access, or a lot of luck combined with being in the right place at the right time. Not anymore.

Thanks to CitizenTube and the connective power of the internet, any one can reach the president. The Enough Project has just done that.

Following up on last week's State of the Union address, YouTube hosted a community driven "Your State of the Union." Steve Grove, YouTube's head of news & politics, asked President Obama a wide variety of questions, submitted and selected by citizens around the country, if not the world.

At the Enough Project, the challenges in Sudan right now are incredibly important to. Recognizing that President Obama didn't address the crisis in Sudan at his State of the Union, Enough was eager to take advantage of the opportunity YouTube offered to engage directly with the president. Seeing the chance to get its concerns about an issue that is underappreciated, Enough mobilized to get its question to Mr. Obama.

Late last week, Enough videotaped its question, eloquently delivered by an intern Alison Grady. Then Enough asked our supporters, fans, partners, and others who care about the message to vote and pass the word.