Blog

The U.N. human rights office today reported that “extremely worrying” attacks on civilians and indiscriminant shelling are taking place in Southern Kordofan. Civilian deaths and injuries in the towns of Talodi and Um Durein have been confirmed while house-to-house searches near Kadugli, and attacks on both displaced people seeking refuge and civilians returning home for provisions have been reported. The U.N. also reported that “fighting forces” have erected roadblocks that are preventing medical and humanitarian access and called on all parties to the conflict to allow safe passage to civilians ...

A weekly round-up of must-read stories, posted every Friday ...

Intense fighting and violence continue in the volatile border state of Southern Kordofan between the northern army, or SAF, and elements of the southern army, or SPLA. According to the latest account from AFP, U.N. sources observed Antonov bombers and fighter jets flying around the state capital of Kadugli, following the shelling of SPLA positions by the northern army since Tuesday. Witnesses on the ground described northern-affiliated forces taking aggressive measures against civilians and conducting house-to-house searches for SPLA troops, the article also said ...

'Bring food. There is none here.’ It was prudent advice, arriving by text message in a rare patch of cell phone network coverage, as the red mud-splattered vehicle barreled north toward the area where most of the estimated 96,000 people displaced by recent fighting in the disputed area of Abyei have temporary settled. The influx of displaced people fleeing the recent outbreak of violence in Abyei and destruction of nearby villages has placed a strain on basic goods in the small towns forming a semi-circle south of the conflict area. Many of the displaced are staying in host families and ...

Amid the chaos of fleeing Abyei as violence erupted late last month, family members often got separated from each other. In the town of Turalei, at least a two-days’ walk south, the Enough Project’s Tim Freccia met Kuol Monyjei, who was facing the frightening uncertainty of not being able to reach his wife, mother, and two-year-old son. Freccia accompanied Konyjei as he walked through Turalei trying to locate his family ...

With General Radko Mladić now in the dock in The Hague to face charges stemming from the atrocities committed by troops under his command during the Bosnian War, the contrast with events in Southern Sudan could not be more appalling. Sudan’s government, led by President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, has taken a page from its Darfur playbook by waging war once again on civilians and their property, this time attacking the disputed border region of Abyei on the eve of South Sudan’s legal secession next month ...

Kuol Monyjei, a medical assistant in Agok, south Sudan, searches for his family after Sudan Armed Forces stormed the Abyei area and displaced thousands from their homes ...

Following the invasion and occupation of Abyei by Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers, thousands of displaced residents continued to suffer amid heavy rain, and Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) soldiers took up defensive positions in surrounding areas ...

Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College, or HTC, recently became the first public college in the United States to take a stance on products containing conflict minerals from eastern Congo. Sophomore and STAND member Ellen Hamrick wrote this guest blog post about the hurdles she and her fellow student leaders encountered, and how they ultimately overcame them to make this powerful statement ...

Award-winning author Dave Eggers, who wrote the novel What is the What based on the life and experiences of Sudanse Lost Boy Valentino Deng, describes his Enough Moment ...