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IN THE NEWS
A Weekly Newsletter by Team Darfur
Top Headlines
June 20, 2008- World Refugee Day, as stated by the UNHCR
What you can do to help
World Refugee Day in the news:Read article.
Songs of Hope for Sudan, when censors allow
Singer-songwriter Abazar Hamid, each month, submits his reggae songs of love and peace to Sudan's government's music monitoring committee. Recently, Hamid has given up his day job to devote himself to the goal of using his music to transform his country, through his Rainbow Project Read article. 06/19/08
Darfur advocates speak to UN Security Council
On Tuesday, June 17, Mia Farrow, John Prendergast, and Niemat Ahmadi made statements to the United Nations Security Council. Richard Williamson, the U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan called the meeting. Farrow accused the Security Council of failing in its responsibility to protect the people of Darfur, while Prendergast emphasized a need for, "international protection for civilians, accountability for human rights abuses, and a peace agreement that resolves the underlying political issues." Ahmadi, Darfuri Liaison Officer at the Save Darfur Coalition, discussed the government offensive against rebels and civilians. She also addressed the, "incommunicado detention of an unknown but large number of Darfuris and others mistaken for Darfuris." Jerry Fowler, Save Darfur Coalition President, was also present. Read the article. Also, visit Dream for Darfur, Enough, and Save Darfur for more information. Team Darfur is proud of our partners in this fight!
Sudanese President Al-Bashir interviewed by Aljazeera
President Al-Bashir agrees that negotiations in Sudan are important. However, he also believes the rest of the world should not involve themselves as much. Read interview. 06/16/08
Comprehensive Peace Agreement on verge of collapse due to conflict in Abyei, Darfur
The CPA collapse is beginning with the oil-rich town of Abyei. The people of the area are being pushed around by both the Arab government of the North as well as the Western-influenced South. The similarities of the attacks on Abyei with the Darfur crisis is no coincidence. Both involve the handiwork of a small militia group, waging war against the people living near the border. Read article. For more reference, Read other article 06/14/08
Team Darfur listens in to Darfur forum
The US Institute for Peace, along with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, held a forum entitled "Sudan: What's Happening, What Needs to Happen Now?" First speaker, Alex de Waal of Harvard University, noted the "change" occurring in Sudan, referring to Sudan as a "political market place," where loyalty can be bought. Next, Rich Williamson, U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, emphasized the similarities between Sudanese politicians and those of our own country. Williamson noted the importance of the local actors "owing the solution." Although the international community can help facilitate peace talks, a resolution is ultimately in the hands of the people in Sudan. Later, Vanessa Jimenez from The Public International Law and Policy Group, which does pro bono law work with Sudan, emphasized the importance of the border town of Abyei. Last, Andrew Natsios, of Georgetown University, made the crucial point that even within the South there is no unity. He concluded that, "peace must take priority over justice." 06/18/08
In Other News
World News
NYTimes editorial: The genocide continues Read editorial. 06/18/08
China's human rights violations in Tibet discussed by UNHCR Read transcript. 06/11/08
EU forces under attack in Chadian border town after Sudanese refugees flee Darfur Read article. 06/14/08
China, Germany to reopen human rights talks Read article. 06/14/08
Darfur rebels on trial for attack near Khartoum Read article. 06/18/08
Sudan seeks strong Egyptian peacekeeping role in Darfur Read article. 06/15/08
UN may meet JEM rebel group without Sudanese government Read article. 06/13/08
Tents of Hope Project raises awareness in Exeter, to be displayed in D.C. Read article. 06/15/08
Sports
Three-time Olympic medalist Silken Laumann encourages dialogue, not boycott, with China Read article. 06/14/08
Olympic torch relay cut to one day in Tibet Read article. 06/18/08
Security heavy in China's Muslim region while torch moves along Read article. 06/18/08
Nine high school athletes run to raise awareness of the genocide in Sudan Read article. 06/16/08
International Criminal Court developments this month:
June 4: Luis Moreno-Ocampo issues report for the U.N. Security Council in which he says "the whole state apparatus" can be linked to crimes against humanity. The report says senior government officials - working through pro-Khartoum Janjaweed militias - have orchestrated crimes, including the rapes of girls as young as five-years-old.
June 5: "Despise promises and denials, over the last five years, millions of civilians have been targeted by officials who vowed to protect them. Impunity reigns," International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told a rapt Security Council. "The entire Darfur region is "a crime scene."
He promised to present evidence next month at court headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, from a lengthy probe by investigators based in neighboring Chad and from more than 100 witnesses in 18 countries.
Costa Rica's foreign affairs minister, Bruno Stagno Ugarte, urged the council to toughen its stance.
"As time passes, we risk accommodating evil as the graves continue to fill in Darfur," he said. "The government of Sudan is toying with us, toying with human dignity, toying with the authority of this council."
June 6: Deputy Chinese representative at the UN La Yifan to UN Security Council: "China appreciates the efforts of the Office of the Prosecutor in seeking solutions to impunity in Darfur," marking a dramatic shift in China's attitudes towards the ICC. Yifan said his country "condemns atrocities against human rights and international humanitarian law and support a constructive role of the ICC in resolving properly the problems of impunity in Darfur". But the Chinese diplomat warned that resolving the issue of impunity "should not be done in a hurry".
The Chinese abstention drew criticism from Sudanese officials including presidential assistant Nafi Ali Nafi who questioned "why China has not used the veto power to protect its friends".
June 10: The US and EU also said that that promoting the Darfur peace process will be in the context of "full compliance with UNSCR 1593 [referring Darfur war crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and UNSCR 1769 [authorizing UN-AU peacekeepers in Darfur]". The statement represents a dramatic shift in the position of the US administration which remained hostile to the ICC.
Washington had threatened to veto resolution 1593 adopted in March 2005 but eventually bent down to domestic and international pressure and abstained from voting.
June 11: Sudanese UN ambassador Adbel-Mahmood Mohamed told Reuters Wednesday that International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is a terrorist. He said that the ICC's plan to divert the plane of Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Ahmed Harun in order to arrest him constitutes terrorism and piracy, for which Moreno-Ocampo should be removed from office.
June 16: Just back from Darfur, the UNSC issues a "non-binding statement" unanimously calling for Khartoum and all other parties to the Darfur conflict to cooperate fully with the ICC, in accordance with a 2005 Security Council resolution [1593] that referred the situation in Darfur to the court at The Hague.
TEAM DARFUR FACTS
Number of Newly Signed Athletes: 10
Total Number of Athletes: 371
New Countries Represented: Bermuda, Thailand, Portugal
Total Number of Countries Represented: 62
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