Letter to President-Elect Barack Obama: A Peace Surge for Sudan
The message of Sudan activists all over the United States is clear: Don't try to contain the damage from the war in Darfur--end the war. Don't just declare that genocide is taking place--end the genocide. Don't just try to manage the consequences of crisis after crisis in Sudan--end these crises ...
Averting Renewed Regional War in Eastern Congo
The offensive by the rebel Laurent Nkunda’s National Congress for the Defense of People, or CNDP, has dramatically worsened the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. This latest fighting threatens to once again draw Congo’s neighbors directly into the fray in a damaging escalation that would effectively undo a six-year regional and international effort to stabilize the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region ...
Peace Process Near Collapse in Eastern Congo
The peace process in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is on the verge of collapse due to resumed hostilities between Government forces and rebels loyal to Congolese general Laurent Nkunda. Absent immediate and robust diplomatic pressure on the Congolese government and a more impartial effort by United Nations peacekeepers to stop the fighting, the region could descend back into total war ...
China’s Deadly Investments – op-ed appearing on the Huffington Post
China has again assumed the Presidency of the U.N. Security Council, a position that it last held in July 2007 when it led the authorization of a U.N. peacekeeping force for Darfur. At that time, Beijing appeared to be responding to a global campaign by activists, in advance of the Olympics, to shame China into using its influence to address human rights crises in locales in which it has significant economic investments. But China's actions have belied its rhetoric, and it has continued to protect its favorite deadly dictators in places like Darfur, Burma, and Zimbabwe. The Chinese government is ...
Testimony of John Prendergast Before the US Commission on International Religious Freedom
My testimony today will address threats to the agreement that ended that brutal war—Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). However, I want to focus my remarks on the significant opportunities available right now not just to implement that agreement, but to achieve a lasting peace for all of Sudan, including Darfur. The stakes could hardly be higher. If the CPA unravels, there will be no chance for peace in Darfur, and if Darfur continues to deteriorate, the likelihood increases dramatically of a return to what was—for 20 years—a far more destructive war in the South ...
Sudan: Opportunity in the Midst of Crisis
The ICC’s request for an indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the renewed prospect of an inclusive peace process for Darfur, and the drive toward national elections in 2009 are three major opportunities that the United States and others must urgently seize to bring peace to Sudan ...
Testimony of John Norris, Executive Director of the Enough Project Before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus
I would like to thank the caucus for holding this hearing today, and once again demonstrating much needed leadership in this arena. The Human Rights Caucus continues to be one of the great unsung heroes of the Congress, and a terrific example of the bipartisan commitment in the Congress to fundamental rights around the globe ...
Somalia: A Country in Peril, a Policy Nightmare
This is the first of two Enough strategy papers on Somalia by Ken Menkhaus, a professor at Davidson College and a specialist on the Horn of Africa. Based on recent field research, the first half of this report provides an analysis of the current crisis in Somalia. The second half critically examines why international policies toward Somalia have produced disastrously unintended results, and makes an urgent case for a review of those policies. A follow-up report will explore options and make recommendations for a new, more effective, international approach to Somalia ...
Blowback: How China torpedoes its investments
China’s support for despots in Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Burma is a bad investment. In the long-run, China’s own interests would better be served by standing up to states that abuse their own citizens ...
IRRESOLUTION: The U.N. Security Council on Darfur
Steps towards an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir provides an opportunity for the U.N. Security Council to demand real changes in Khartoum’s policies and behavior. Unfortunately, the historical record suggests that the Council will likely miss this opportunity as it has missed many others during the past five years. This report diagnoses the underlying obstacles to effective Security Council response, providing a practical guide on how activists can better engage their governments to stop—and ultimately prevent—genocide and crimes against humanity ...
