Warming Chad-Sudan Relations Fragile But Necessary For Darfur Peace
On Monday, Chadian President Idris Deby made his first visit since 2004 to Khartoum, a sign of improving relations between the hostile neighbors. However, efforts by the Chadian and Sudanese governments to mend their relations will only have a positive impact on the security situation in Darfur if each government takes positive steps to resolve their internal conflicts ...
War Crimes Charges Against Darfuri Rebel Dropped
International judges decided unanimously on Monday to dismiss charges against Bahar Idriss Abu Garda, a Darfur rebel leader charged with war crimes for his alleged involvement in a 2007 attack that killed 12 African Union peacekeepers in North Darfur. According to the ICC judges, the charge that Abu Garda was linked to the attack was unsubstantiated ...
Update From Doha: Missing Opportunities
Despite the near unprecedented gathering of Darfuri rebel groups in Doha for peace talks, disorganization and lack of leadership on the part of the African-Union and United Nations-led mediation team has hindered the potential for a new peace agreement ...
Sudan Confers New Presidential Candidates, Including First Woman
Two more candidates, including Sudan’s first female presidential candidate, were added to the list of ten already-confirmed presidential contenders in April’s national elections ...
Obama Team Connects The Dots Between Mass Killings And National Security
The Obama administration included “mass killings” in this year’s global threat assessment, calling deliberate slaughter a “persistent feature of the global landscape,” the report said. Though the actual substance of the brief section is not groundbreaking, the inclusion of the term is significant, signaling a worldview that defines national security threats in a broader, more global framework ...
Jimmy Carter On Sudan
“One of the most urgent responsibilities the international community faces is in Sudan, which is facing a renewal of nationwide violence.” So begins the call-to-action from former president Jimmy Carter that ran in the Washington Post yesterday ...
Sudan’s Presidential “Contenders”
Last week, the window for nominating candidates for Sudan’s April elections came to a close. Make sure to take a look at the profiles Reuters “Factbox” provides on the main contenders ...
Three More Reps Back Fight To End Conflict Minerals
Three more representatives are joining the fight to end U.S. involvement in the conflict minerals trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA), Tom Perriello (D-VA), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) signed on as co-sponsors this week to the Conflict Minerals Trade Act of 2009, or H.R. 4128 ...
Political Opposition Stifled In North, South Sudan
The latest brief from Human Rights Watch on violations of political rights in both North and South Sudan makes a very simple point: much (maybe too much) will have to be done between now and April before elections in Sudan can truly become the vehicle of profound democratic change for the Sudanese people ...
Amnesty Spotlights Shoddy U.S. Military Assistance To Somalia
U.S. policymakers would do well to take note of the latest report from Amnesty International which outlines the serious civilian consequences that may result from indelicate military assistance to Somalia ...
