Author: Maggie Fick

International Women’s Day was celebrated yesterday with parades, rallies, and protests, from Nepal to Palestine to Liberia. Today in Darfur and throughout Sudan, millions of women and girls are at incredible risk because of the Sudanese government’s decision to expel the humanitarian agencies providing lifesaving assistance. As Secretary Clinton asserted in remarks commemorating the holiday yesterday, women have a crucial role to play in establishing and consolidating peace around the world, but in places like Sudan, they are often the most vulnerable population, and are hurt the most by conflict and abusive government policies. The theme of this year’s International ...

Samsara is a Canadian company that creates, “vegan accessories with the intention to affect change both locally and globally.” Samsara has started a very cool campaign called “One Dollar Donated:” For every bag sold, one dollar is donated to a non-profit organization of your choice. That means that every bag found on any shelf across Canada represents one act of compassion…Your vote dictates the final donations. You have always wanted to do more, but haven't known how. Let us show you the way. Let your words become our action. So if you vote for Enough (and enough other people do, ...

As an astute observer of the machinations of politics in eastern Congo put it to me recently, “it’s messy in North Kivu right now.” This statement does not jibe with New York Times correspondent Jeffrey Gettleman’s recent article, but after a quick survey of the news wires on the current situation in eastern Congo, it’s hard to believe Gettleman’s assertions that “the rebels are at bay” and “calm [has erupted].” In brief, things are still quite messy—and many questions remain unanswered—in North Kivu province, the site of last fall’s round of recurrent violence: The United Nations’ Office for the Coordination ...

In case you missed it, earlier this week, Libya assumed the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council. For anyone who follows Libyan politics—even if only for the tragic-comic amusement of observing the behavior of Muammar “King of Kings” Gaddafi—this news is troubling. 2009 has been quite the year for Libya; just a month ago at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Gaddafi was elected to the AU presidency, bringing him one step closer to his purported goal of becoming “President of Africa.” As astute Libya follower Dana Moss noted in a recent post on Foreign Policy’s ...

The United Nations’ Office of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, has released a very helpful “Humanitarian Snapshot” map detailing the severe consequences of the Sudanese government’s decision on Wednesday, March 4, to expel thirteen international humanitarian organizations from Sudan. Click here to view the map. The statistics are available in the map and put into context in this blog post by my colleague Emily Roberts, but they bear repeating once more: Out of the estimated population of 6.3 million people in Darfur, 4.7 million are affected by the conflict. 2.7 million Darfuris are living in camps for the internally displaced and ...

The Chinese government put out two statements on Sudan yesterday, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang calling China a “responsible country” that has “made great efforts for peace and stability in Darfur.” In the same statement, the Foreign Ministry argued: China opposes any acts that might interfere with the peaceful overall situation of Darfur and Sudan…All parties should think carefully before taking actions. Perhaps this is a poor translation, but it does seem over the top if Beijing is indeed claiming that the international community’s greatest worry is upsetting the “peaceful” situation in Darfur and Sudan as a whole. Indeed, ...

Here are a few selected quotes from Enough’s experts featured in today’s and yesterday’s news coverage of the ICC developments: Enough Advisor Omer Ismail on BBC World News America, March 4: “[President Bashir] is an international fugitive, an indicted president, his authority is diminishing every day, he’s waiting for the day to come…” Enough Executive Director John Norris in the Los Angeles Times, March 5: “This message should be heard loudly and clearly around the globe: If you kill, maim and rape your own citizens, there will be a cost.” Enough co-Founder John Prendergast in the Washington Times, March 4: ...

As UN Dispatch noted recently, following the ICC’s arrest warrant issuance for President Omar al-Bashir, it may be time for an extended vacation for President Bashir. It’s highly unlikely that newly-warranted war criminal will be so foolish as to try to travel to New York to chair a meeting of the United Nations Group of 77, for example, or head to Brussels to visit the European Union. However, given his proven penchant for charm offensives, President Bashir may well try to head over to Tripoli, Libya, where he could enjoy relaxing in Muammar “King of Kings” Gaddafi’s tent and discussing ...

Here in Washington and in many other capitals, governments are issuing public statements officially supporting the Bashir ...

There is no doubt: today is all about Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, his International Criminal Court arrest warrant, and the future of peace and justice in Sudan. But just across the border from Darfur, there is another festering situation involving large numbers of refugees and internally displaced people, not to mention myriad rebel factions, armed bandits, and a United Nations-backed joint peacekeeping force. There is also a predatory government in that country’s capital, which is using its substantial oil revenues to arm itself to fight an armed insurgency in a peripheral region of the country—in this case the East. This ...