Chicagoans Walk with Darfur and Celebrate South Sudan Independence
On Saturday, July 9, more than 160 students, activists, and Sudanese community members gathered at Diversey Harbor in Chicago, IL to raise funds to support Darfuri refugee education and celebrate the independence of South Sudan. The students of Youth United for Darfur, the Chicagoland coalition of high schools and colleges working together for peace and education for the people of Darfur, organized the inaugural Walk with Darfur, which raised over $1,000 to support our Darfur Dream Team Sister Schools Program’s efforts at Ali Dinar A school in Djabal refugee camp in eastern Chad ...
Reflecting on Role of Local Media, as Congolese Journalist Gunned Down
Amid the militia fighting, struggle over resources, and mass displacement of civilians in eastern Congo, there are many heroes whose names we in the West rarely hear. They are the teachers, the nurses, aid workers, and advocates who work thanklessly for peace in the midst of communities that have been ravaged by violence. Among some of the bravest on the front lines of the conflict are those who write the headlines and read the radio dispatches: the Congolese journalists, many of whom display both moral and physical courage in shining a light on the atrocities and gross human rights violations ...
Report: Shift Needed in U.S. Policy Toward Sudan
While the Republic of South Sudan celebrates independence as the world’s newest nation, the rest of Sudan remains a chronically unstable state that threatens peace in both Sudans and the region, said the Enough Project in a new report, “Rethinking Sudan After Southern Secession.” ...
At Progressive Conference, Considering Obama’s Record
At the Campus Progress annual conference recently, a reporter asked me about my opinion of President Obama’s record. I told her, "I think there are some, not broken promises, but the realities of Washington sort of hit a lot of people hard, especially young people who have lofty goals and big dreams, and it's hard to face reality sometimes." In part, I was thinking about some of the shortcomings in the Obama administration's response to conflict in Sudan and Congo and the problem of the LRA ...
New Embassy of the Republic of South Sudan Raises Its Flag
“South Sudan Oyee!! South Sudan Oyee!” The joyful call and response of cheers for the world’s newest nation filled the entire Washington, D.C., street last Saturday morning. Members of the South Sudan community and diaspora gathered in front of the new Embassy of the Republic of South Sudan for a morning full of dancing, clapping, singing, and widespread embraces to welcome their new nation ...
South Sudan: If Only Independence Marked The End Of Its Woes
“I’ve got 99 problems but Bashir ain’t one” is emblazoned on t-shirts for sale in the capital of the brand-new country of South Sudan, which officially gained its independence from the North on Saturday. Even before Sudan gained independence from the United Kingdom and Egypt in 1956, civil war had broken out between the North and South, where rebels rose up to protest the region’s marginalization. Decades and 2 million deaths later, the South is now independent. The weekend was jubilant — from midnight on Friday when crowds filled the streets waving South Sudan flags, through the official declaration ceremony ...
Video: South Sudan’s Independence Celebration
The mood was festive in South Sudan's capital as southerners – many who traveled long distances to take part in the long-awaited historic day – declared their independence this weekend. After decades of civil war, the secession stirred up raw emotions and an outpouring of patriotism. The Enough Project's Tim Freccia captured the sights and sounds of the celebration in Juba ...
South Sudan Celebrates Independence with Pomp and Memories of Past
After a 56-year struggle, South Sudan has a country of its own. Thousands upon thousands of people gathered starting early this morning at the memorial for Dr. John Garang, the late rebel leader, where workers have been building and cleaning day and night to ready the dusty open space for the huge celebration. Flag-festooned Range Rovers and Mercedes delivered dozens of heads of states, including Kenya’s Mwai Kibaki, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, South Africa’s Jacob Zuma, to the festivities. After hours of sitting in the blistering sun, the crowd seemed newly energized – erupting in cheers and chants of “Republic of ...
The First Game of Hoops in the World’s Newest Nation
JUBA, South Sudan – Luol Deng just went toe to toe with Lebron James in a hard-fought five-game playoff battle. Deng’s Chicago Bulls lost the series giving him an early off-season. But instead of heading to the Caribbean to rest his weary limbs, he is here in the capital of South Sudan helping his countrymen celebrate the birth of their very own nation ...
Sudan Split is Far From a Guarantee for Peace
This Saturday, South Sudanese around the world will exuberantly celebrate the birth of the new country of South Sudan. Concerted international diplomacy, including the robust efforts of the Obama administration, helped pave the way for this moment, the culmination of a 2005 peace agreement brokered by the international community between the Sudanese government and what was then the southern rebel movement, the SPLM/A, to end two decades of war. But even as the arrival of South Sudan on the world stage is evidence of a diplomatic success, the insecurity that has proliferated in both the North and the South is ...
