Darfur Daily News: May 31, 2005

[applegrove]

Latest News

- Thanks to SAVE DARFUR:

http://www.savedarfur.org/go.php?q=latestNews.html

May 31, 2005

Day 141 of Bush's silence

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/31/opinion/31kristof.html

New York Times Op-Ed and Multimedia Report

"A reader from Eugene, Ore., wrote in with a complaint about my harping on the third world: 'Why should the U.S. care for the rest of the world?' he asked. 'The U.S. should take care of its own. ... It's way past time for liberal twits to stop pushing the U.S. into nonsense or try to make every wrong in the world our responsibility.' And while that reader wasn't George W. Bush, it could have been. Today marks Day 141 of Mr. Bush's silence on the genocide, for he hasn't let the word Darfur slip past his lips publicly since Jan. 10 (even that was a passing reference with no condemnation). There are several points I could make to argue that it's in our own interest to help Darfur..."




State-led murder and rape of villagers in Darfur uncovered

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=594012005

The Scotsman

African Union (AU) reports have provided damning new evidence of the involvement of Sudanese government forces and their Janjaweed militia allies in the murder and rape of civilians in the Darfur region. AU monitors have collected photographic evidence of Sudanese helicopter gunships in action attacking villages, and their reports conclude that the Sudanese government has systematically breached the peace deals that it signed to placate the United Nations Security Council.

DU general discussion on this topic posted by WesDem:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3757720




MSF officials held over Darfur report

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/3ca03abc79e849a2f33bf586152e4fcc.htm

Reuters

Sudanese authorities have arrested two senior officials of the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) over a report that claimed that hundreds of rapes had taken place in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, MSF said.



Related:

Arrest war criminals, not aid workers

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/05/31/sudan11043.htm

Human Rights Watch

"Donor governments and the United Nations must condemn the Sudanese government's arbitrary arrest and intimidation of aid workers, Human Rights Watch said today. The Sudanese government should drop charges against all aid workers, including the head of Medecins Sans Frontieres in Khartoum, Paul Foreman, who was arrested yesterday and released on bail. 'It's appalling that instead of arresting the people who have burned hundreds of villages and attacked thousands of women and girls, the Sudanese government is detaining aid workers,' said Peter Takirambudde, Africa director for Human Rights Watch."




AU's peace head to visit Darfur

http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1713988,00.html

News24.com

African Union peace and security council commissioner Said Djinnit is to visit Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region this week to assess the humanitarian and security situation there, said the AU on Tuesday. Djinnit said: "The visit will allow the AU to say loud and clear what the prevailing humanitarian and security situation is in Darfur."

May 30, 2005

Washington's silence over Darfur

http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?ID=11381

Power and Interest News Report

In June 2004, Colin Powell, then-US secretary of state, visited Sudan's Darfur region to voice Washington's outrage at the unfolding crisis and labeled the situation "genocide" upon his homecoming. Ten months later, Robert Zoellick, the current US deputy secretary of state, paid a more cordial visit to Sudan and made every effort to avoid using that signifier for intervention. His silence gave voice to a meaningful change in the US approach to Sudan - Washington's position has drifted from contained activism to strategic indifference on the crisis in Darfur.

May 28, 2005

Thousands greet Annan in Darfur

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L28570331.htm

Reuters

Tens of thousands of refugees lined the muddy streets of the largest camp in Darfur to greet U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, who later heard their stories of rape and other violence.

Sudan Accused of Threatening Aid Workersposted by WesDem and DU LBN discussion on this topic at:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1512957

Tuesday May 31, 2005 9:01 PM

Sudan Accused of Threatening Aid Workers

By DONNA BRYSON - Associated Press Writer

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5043423,00.html

LONDON (AP) - Sudanese officials detained a second international aid worker Tuesday in what humanitarian groups call an effort to intimidate those who speak out about rape and other atrocities in Darfur. The agency said it would not be deterred."

-- Snip --

Darfur Calendar June - Local Events

(& yesterday's news on Darfur) as of May 30th

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3754996

* please add to this list of Events by looking in your local paper

Actions:

Take 10 minutes for Darfur -- 10,000 a month are dying posted by WesDem

DU site for taking action:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3730018

Actions:

STOPPING THE DARFUR GENOCIDE: We need ANSWERS to these QUESTIONS: posted by Nothing Without Hope

We still need more ideas. We are acting on the ones we can. But more involvement would be excellent. For this DU discussion go to:

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3724411

Second MSF aid worker arrested in Sudan posted by rayofreason

This discussion at: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1512382

GENEVA (AFP) - A second Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) aid worker has been arrested in Sudan, a spokesman for the international aid group, Aymeric Peguillan, told AFP.

Read it all at:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050531/wl_afp/sudandarfurmsf_050531112659

Depressing Darfur Update - Arrest the Doctor; Supress the evidence

[applegrove]

1. Kick n/t

[applegrove]

2. The Huffington Post - 4 day series on Darfur

"Jane Wells - Witness to Darfur

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/featuredposts.html#a001824

I try to disappear, sliding my hot and sticky body down the back seat of the SUV as it bounces along an unmarked dirt road. I realize for the first time since arriving in Sudan that I am actually terrified. Our cell phones have quit working, and now the VHF radio signal is gone. My companions, part of the relief group, the International Medical Corps (IMC), don’t have to tell me that these could be signs of an impending Janjaweed attack.

Security protocol gives us another 5 minutes before we must turn back from our mission, an assessment of need for a new health care clinic at a village called Kabbum. We have just passed a group of about 15 men in flowing white djellabas, or robes, carrying kalashnikov rifles. I can spot another group of 25 men on camels up ahead. Dina, in charge of this expedition, seems impassive, but when she sees the rifles, she announces, “OK, that’s it. We’re turning back.” She radios the other vehicle in our convoy to do the same. I breathe again, but not for long because, despite the surprising allure of this unfamiliar landscape, filled with baobab trees and exotic wildlife, we soon spot a helicopter in the distance—another bad omen. It is not until we return to the compound in Nyala 90 minutes later that I finally unclench my shoulders.

-- Snip -- "

4 day series

[applegrove]

3. Minneapolis, Minnesota (Not specifically Darfur) ARC meeting

The American Refugee Committee invites you to


Border Crossings
a one-hour introduction to the work of ARC


Nearly 35 million people around the world have been displaced by civil conflict. Learn how ARC is making a difference in the lives of these vulnerable people.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. or 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

ARC World Headquarters
430 Oak Grove Street, Suite 204
Minneapolis, Minnesota

To reserve a seat, call [phone].

If you are in the Chicago area, please contact Judi Burnison at [email protected] or [phone] to arrange a personalized introduction to the American Refugee Committee.

http://www.archq.org/events.shtml

[applegrove]

4. Sign Berkeley petition on Darfur

http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~unicef/archives/000046.html

[applegrove]

5. G8 & other days.

6-8 July - As the current President of the G8, the UK hosts the G8 Summit at Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, Scotland

11-12 June - National event being organized by Darfurian exiles.

http://www.protectdarfur.org/Pages/Campaign_Files/Campaign_Calendar.htm