Genocide update: "NATO on alert to provide help in Darfur" (Bush silent)

[Nothing Without Hope]

The Canadians have already offered to provide helicopters to assist in the urgently needed airlift operations. The United States HAS NOT. The best that could be said of our oh-so-moral, “culture-of-life” government in this article is that a “British official said that if the US also offered to help with the airlift, that should be taken up.” For more on the continuing US silence on the ongoing genocide, in which an estimated 400,000 people have already died, see the info on the blistering May 3 Kristoff NYT article "Day 113 of the President's Silence" below.

Here's the latest update on the Darfur situation from the Guardian (UK):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sudan/story/0,14658,1487084,00.html

Nato on alert to provide help in Darfur

Ewen MacAskill, diplomatic editor
Thursday May 19, 2005

Nato ordered its planners yesterday to begin urgently drawing up proposals to help out in Darfur, where hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than a million displaced.

Nato's 26 ambassadors, meeting in Brussels, approved a request for help from the African Union, the pan-continental organisation, which has 2,600 troops on the ground.

This is the African Union's first peace operation and it is struggling, partly because of the scale of the crisis, partly because of a lack of experience, but mainly because of a lack of logistical support.

(snip)

The AU has also asked the EU to help, but the British official said yesterday that it did not have the heavy airlifting capacity that Nato has. Details are to be worked out at a meeting next Thursday in Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia, attended by the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, and representatives of the AU, Nato and the EU.

(snip)

The US position – or rather, NONposition – in the Darfur genocide is laid out in all its sorry squalor in the May 3 NYT article by Nicholas Kristoff. I couldn’t find a full-length copy of the article on the web that did not require a subscription, but here is a site that has a fairly full accounting of it:

http://platform.blogs.com/passionofthepresent/2005/05/day_113_of_the_.html
(snip)

Incredibly, the Bush administration is fighting to kill the Darfur Accountability Act, which would be the most forceful step the U.S. has taken so far against the genocide. The bill, passed by the Senate, calls for such steps as freezing assets of the genocide's leaders and imposing an internationally backed no-fly zone to stop Sudan's Army from strafing villages.

The White House was roused from its stupor of indifference on Darfur to send a letter, a copy of which I have in my hand, to Congressional leaders, instructing them to delete provisions about Darfur from the legislation.

(snip)

Aside from the effort to block Congressional action, there are other signs that the administration is trying to backtrack on Darfur. The first sign came when Condoleezza Rice gave an interview to The Washington Post in which she deflected questions about Darfur and low-balled the number of African Union troops needed there.

Then, in Sudan, Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick pointedly refused to repeat the administration's past judgment that the killings amount to genocide. Mr. Zoellick also cited an absurdly low estimate of Darfur's total death toll: 60,000 to 160,000. Every other serious estimate is many times as high. The latest, from the Coalition for International Justice, is nearly 400,000, and rising by 500 a day.

(snip)

And here is the “official” NYT abstract of it from the archive search:

http://tinyurl.com/7ga25
EDITORIAL DESK | May 3, 2005, Tuesday

Day 113 of the President's Silence

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF (NYT) Op-Ed 785 words
Late Edition - Final , Section A , Page 25 , Column 1
ABSTRACT - Nicholas D Kristof Op-Ed column says today marks Day 113 of Pres Bush's silence about genocide in Darfur unfolding on his watch; notes his administration is fighting to kill Darfur Accountability Act, which would be most forceful step United States has taken so far against genocide; suspects that Bush is reluctant to do more to save perhaps several hundred thousand lives for three reasons: he sees no neat solution, he is concerned that pressuring Sudan on Darfur might disrupt separate peace accord he brokered between northern and southern Sudan, and because Sudan's leaders are increasing their cooperation with CIA

Let’s collect the best sites for information and activism on the Sudan/Darfur genocide. Here is one to start – it has a frequently updated news page, links to information and video, and more:

www.darfurgenocide.org

I do not know the best place for donations for Darfur/Sudan relief – places where you can be sure the money will go to actually help the people who need it. I HOPE READERS OF THIS THREAD WILL COMMENT ON THIS POINT – WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO DONATE? PLEASE GIVE INFO AND LINKS.

[Nothing Without Hope]

1. Come on people - this should not be ignored. n/t

[Telly Savalas]

4. No it shouldn't.

Kick for the folks who don't get up at absurdly early hours.

[Nothing Without Hope]

2. Will NO ONE read this? n/t

[Vladimir]

3. Good, in fact very good

its about time we started providing the assistance the AU are crying out for. And as long as there is no suggestion of sending Western troops into Darfur, I think we must all back these initiatives to the hilt.

[G_j]

5. One of Sudan's chief committers of Genocide a guest in DC

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3580140

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/050105Y.shtml

Sudan Becomes US Ally in 'War on Terror'
By Suzanne Goldenberg
The Guardian UK

Saturday 30 April 2005

Sudan's Islamist regime, once shunned by Washington for providing a haven for Osama bin Laden as well as for human rights abuses during decades of civil war, has become an ally in the Bush administration's "war on terror".

Only months after the US accused Khartoum of carrying out genocide in Darfur, Sudan has become a crucial intelligence asset to the CIA.

In the Middle East and Africa, Sudan's agents have penetrated networks that would not normally be accessible to America, one former US intelligence official told the Guardian. Some of that cooperation has spilled over into the war in Iraq: Sudan is credited with detaining foreign militants on their way to join anti-American fighters there.

<snip>
News of General Gosh's visit to Washington caused consternation in human rights circles. The general is among 51 Sudanese officials implicated in human rights abuses by the international criminal court.

"I quite understand that the war on terrorism means dealing with bad actors, but to fly in one of Sudan's chief committers of what Washington has formally described as genocide is deeply disturbing," said an independent Sudan analyst, Eric Reeves. He noted there had been signs of a slight thaw towards Khartoum for some time - despite the state department's official stance.
____________

http://www.merip.org/meromero042905.html

Darfur and the International Criminal Court

Eric Reeves

April 29, 2005

On March 31, 2005, the United Nations issued another response to the vast crisis in the Darfur region of far western Sudan, referring various conspicuous violations of international law to the International Criminal Court. Though there have been five previous UN Security Council resolutions bearing on Darfur, the response contained within Resolution 1593 has gained far and away the most public notice because it seemed, at first glance, to have teeth. Major human rights organizations welcomed the possibility that perpetrators of the mass killings and displacement plaguing the Sudanese region since February 2003 could face trial and eventual punishment. Germany and other Western governments were gratified that the United States, long hostile to the Court, had stopped its obstruction of such an international justice effort. Given the extremely limited relevance of Resolution 1593 to the task of ending the destruction and human suffering in Darfur, however, the initial sighs of relief at the resolution's passage are grimly ironic.

The ongoing disaster in western Sudan deserves the name of genocide. The concerted military campaigns of the Khartoum government and its janjaweed militia allies have clearly included several of the acts stipulated in the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crimes of Genocide, in particular “killing members of groups ” and “deliberately inflicting on the groups conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction in whole or in part.” Acts of the latter sort, exemplified in the case of Darfur by such tactics as razing of villages, burning of crops and looting of livestock, constitute what might be described as “genocide by attrition.”

According to a recent study by the Coalition for International Justice and independent research, state-directed violence and the resulting public health crises have claimed as many as 400,000 lives in Darfur since February 2003, overwhelmingly among the non-Arab or “African” tribal populations of the region. Available data suggest that an additional 2.5 million people have been displaced by the conflict, either within Darfur or as refugees to Chad. This displacement continues at an alarming rate. Three million people -- approximately half of Darfur's population -- are now “conflict-affected” and Jan Egeland, the UN's chief aid official, has indicated this number may grow to 4 million during the impending June-September rainy season. Famine conditions are already evident in parts of rural Darfur; food shortages and a collapsed agricultural economy (including spiraling food price inflation) ensure that the dying is far from done. The final death toll from this engineered catastrophe may exceed that of Rwanda's genocide
<snip>

Certainly on the list, then, is First Vice President Ali Osman Taha, presently the most powerful member of the NIF. It is widely known that Taha has taken primary responsibility for Khartoum's Darfur policy, even as he was chief NIF negotiator (and concession-maker) in the peace talks with the southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement that concluded in Nairobi, Kenya on January 9. Interior Minister Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Hussein is also surely on the list, as he is, among other things, the primary architect of forced removals of internally displaced persons from camps of refuge in Darfur. So, too, is the director of security and intelligence within the NIF regime, Maj. Gen. Salih Gosh. Given the prominence of these men in regime policy generally, any assessment of the “deterrent” effects of an ICC referral must take account of their likely actions and motives.

<snip>
-------

http://www.sepnet.org/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=742&blogId=1

<snip>
The report also establishes with welcome authority a clear chain of command within the Khartoum regime, both its military and security services and various of its political organs. This permits very clear inferences about the identities of those within the National Islamic Front regime whose names have been put under seal, pending referral to an international prosecutor (whether at the International Criminal Court or an ad hoc tribunal). For example, Sallah Gosh, the senior official in Khartoum's multi-layered National Security and Intelligence Service, is almost certainly named (see Para. 85-97), as is Abdel Rahim Hussein, Minister of the Interior and charged with the "Darfur portfolio" by the regime.
<snip>

------------
http://www.genocidewatch.org/SudanUSReportFindsBackingofkillings8sept2004.htm

U.S. Report Finds Sudan Promoted Killings

Use of Term 'Genocide' Debated Ahead of Powell Testimony on Darfur Atrocities

By Emily Wax

Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, September 8, 2004; Page A17

A State Department report detailing atrocities in the Darfur region of western Sudan concludes that the Sudanese government has promoted systematic killings based on race and ethnic origin, but officials said Tuesday that there was strong debate over whether Secretary of State Colin L. Powell should classify the violence as genocide.
<snip>

High-ranking Sudanese officials, including the head of National Intelligence Security Services and the former external affairs intelligence chief, are among the key figures ordering and coordinating the violence in Darfur, State Department sources said.

"Senior Bush administration officials appear reluctant to publicly identify senior officials involved in the atrocities in Darfur, including First Vice President Osman Taha and NISS chief Salah Abdala Gosh, because these officials are also in charge of the counterterrorism efforts and have been cooperating with U.S. officials," said Ted Dagne of the U.S. Congressional Research Service. "Targeting these officials could end cooperation on counterterrorism."
<snip>

----

[Nothing Without Hope]

17. We MUST hold them accountable. They have downplayed the genocide,

consistently underestimating the casualties, and have been trying to block effective legislation on Darfur.

And now this - inviting the butcher to lunch.

We must drive home the point that

this is a demonstration of their "culture of life" hypocrisy

[paineinthearse]

6. DU

I am at wits end. WHY ARE POSTS OF THIS CALIBER IGNORED?

Kicked and nominated.

[G_j]

7. nominated also

[Coexist]

8. Finally!

I thought Darfur was a hoax the way the world has been ignoring it (heavy sarcasm intended).

[Solly Mack]

9. Petitions to sign/Send money to help/other Info LINKS

http://www.petitiononline.com/samhamam/petition.html

http://www.petitiononline.com/darfur/petition.html

http://www.africaaction.org/newsroom/index.php?op=read&documentid=871&type=15

Send money here

https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/SaveDarfurCoalition/OnlineGiving.html

Ideas for other ways to help

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

[Solly Mack]

10. Also, there are several threads about Darfur from the last week

on DU..I'll dig up the links and post here...as they will add more info.

Link that leads to a really good post of info...though now locked.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=258x1886


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3691643

Link from a thread on DU
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=2848&l=1

[Nothing Without Hope]

18. Thank you and the others for posting this information here.

I'm hoping this thread can provide a useful resource for people wondering what is happening in Darfur, what the US is doing about it, and what they can do to help.

It's awful - but not surprising with this crew of greedy criminals - that our own government has done NOTHING and is in fact tending to support the forces responsible for the genocide.

[G_j]

28. thank you n/t

[wildflower]

11. Here's an Oxfam link:

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_we_do/where_we_work/sudan/emergency/

There's a link on the righthand side where you can donate to support people affected by the conflict.

-wildflower

[understandinglife]

12. Darfur is a crystal clear example of why "America" is past history.

Persons who still believe in the ideals of the American Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the, now deceased, United States of America are reasonably confused.

They are operating in a framework that no longer exists.

In the reality-based framework of a citizenry that allowed a court to stop the counting of votes, that allowed a President to start an illegal and un-Constitutional war, that watched, day-after-day, some of the most sinister photos of torture and were willing to be convinced that somehow, someway it wasn't..... In that framework, "Darfur" is exactly what you would expect.

And, in_deed, Bu$h's imperialistic regime could give a rats ass what Sudan does to the folk in Darfur because, for the moment, they need stuff from the Sudanese. Of course, tomorrow, that could change and the Sudanese could be become the victims of genocide, should that suit the needs of Bu$h's neoconster gang.

For a primer on when "America" ceased:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3688434

Peace.


www.missionnotaccomplished.us - Be it MNA Day 3 or 8 or 15 or .... the day will come when 10s of millions of Americans and others stop their typical activities for 24 hours and urge 10 times that many to join should another MNA Day be required. On that glorious day what we once called "America" will emerge.

[wildflower]

13. Red Cross:

HOW TO HELP

You can help those affected by the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan and countless other crises around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance, and other support to help those in need. Call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish).
Contributions to the International Response Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.

http://www.redcross.org/article/0,1072,0_162_3466,00.html

[wildflower]

14. Unicef: Crisis in Darfur

More than a million people have been displaced by ethnic and political conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. UNICEF is working with other aid agencies to provide desperately needed food, shelter, water and sanitation for children and families living in overcrowded, makeshift refugee camps. https://www.unicefusa.org/site/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?c=duLRI8O0H&b=67966&en=ltLPK0PKK9JKJ1NNLeKKI7OTJqJ5IaNHKeJSL6MMLgLXIgO2H">Donate now to support UNICEF's work for the children of Sudan.

http://www.unicefusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=duLRI8O0H&b=50755

[Nothing Without Hope]

15. ACTIVISM NEEDED: Summaries of Pending US Legislation related to Darfur

There are two main bills in the US Congress that are directed at “doing something” about the genocide in Darfur. Both were introduced in March 2005 and both are currently in committees. There the similarity ends; the House bill (HR 1424) would enable far stronger steps than the Senate one (S 495). I got more information on them from Thomas (http://thomas.loc.gov) and summarize what I found below about the two GENOCIDE ACCOUNTABILITY BILLS.

BEFORE discussing these two “Genocide Accountability Act” bills, I also want to summarize the another related bill (HR 1435, which removes some tax benefits from companies doing business in the Sudan) and a resolution S.Con.Res.17, which calls on NATO to evaluate a possible no-fly zone). Like the two Genocide Accountability bills, they were both introduced in March and are currently in committees. (Several additional Thomas hits came up with the search term “Dafur” and I will look more at them later, but I am not including them in this post because their titles did not sound directly relevant. Again, if a maven knows of other pending legislation or resolutions that should be included, please speak up.):

H.R.1435
Title: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to deny the foreign tax credit and the benefits of deferral to companies doing business directly or through subsidiaries in Sudan until the Government of Sudan takes demonstrable steps to end genocide in Sudan.
Sponsor: Rep Rangel, Charles B. (introduced 3/17/2005) Cosponsors (13)
Latest Major Action: 3/17/2005 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
SUMMARY AS OF: 3/17/2005--Introduced.
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny U.S. companies doing business in Sudan the foreign tax credit and other tax benefits until the Secretary of State certifies to the Secretary of the Treasury that the Government of Sudan has ceased to support and taken steps to end acts of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, including: (1) ensuring that the military is not attacking civilians or obstructing human rights monitors or humanitarian assistance; (2) disarming Government supported militias; (3) allowing access for providing humanitarian assistance to all regions; and (4) cooperating with international missions.

S.CON.RES.17
Title: A concurrent resolution calling on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to assess the potential effectiveness of and requirements for a NATO-enforced no-fly zone in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Sponsor: Sen Biden, Joseph R., Jr. (introduced 3/10/2005) Cosponsors (12)
Latest Major Action: 3/10/2005 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
SUMMARY AS OF: 3/10/2005—Introduced.

• Condemns the continued civilian attacks in Darfur, Sudan, and calls on the Government of Sudan to withdraw all military aircraft from the region and disarm the janjaweed militias.
  
• Commends the Africa Union Mission in Sudan for its actions in monitoring the implementation of the N'Djamena cease-fire agreement in Darfur.
  
• Urges the President to direct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to propose that NATO assess the effectiveness of a NATO-enforced no-fly zone across Darfur.

AND NOW THE TWO “GENOCIDE ACCOUNTABILITY BILLS:

I’m no legal maven, but the difference between the two bills is obvious. Simply put, the House bill, HR 1424, has teeth. The Senate bill, S 495, does not. An inspection of the people behind the two bills gives further illumination and explains this difference. I hope that a true maven here at DU steps forward and enlarges on the important differences between these bills and what we can do to push for the right actions.

People are dying every day in Darfur, but these bills are sitting in committees. Meanwhile, I see elsewhere in this thread that the Bush Administration has been welcoming some of the people involved in the atrocities.

1 . Darfur Genocide Accountability Act of 2005 (Introduced in House) H.R.1424.IH

March 17, 2005 - House of Representatives

To impose sanctions against perpetrators of crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and for other purposes.

Mr. PAYNE (for himself, Mr. TANCREDO, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Ms. LEE, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. PITTS, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, and Mr. RUSH) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

SUMMARY AND STATUS OF HR 1424::
Title: To impose sanctions against perpetrators of crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Payne, Donald M. (introduced 3/17/2005) Cosponsors (110)
Latest Major Action: 3/17/2005 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on International Relations.

SUMMARY AS OF: 3/17/2005—Introduced.

Darfur Genocide Accountability Act of 2005 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, are genocide.

Directs the President to: (1) block the property and assets of civil and military officials of the Government of Sudan and their family members implicated in the Darfur atrocities, and property and assets controlled by the National Congress Party; and (2) prohibit an entity engaged in any commercial activity in Sudan from raising capital in the United States, or from trading its securities in any capital market in the United States.

Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) prohibit visas for civil and military officials of the Government of Sudan, and militia members and others implicated in the Darfur atrocities; (2) reduce the Sudanese diplomatic mission in Washington, D.C., and restrict or control the remaining staff's movement within the United States; and (3) instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) to oppose any UN or other international conference from being held in Sudan.

Authorizes the President to: (1) use force to stop the Darfur genocide, including establishment of a no-fly zone and use of unmanned armed planes; and (2) deny U.S. port entry to ships doing business in the Sudan oil sector and /or with the Sudan armed forces.

2 . Darfur Accountability Act of 2005 (Introduced in Senate) S.495.IS

March 2, 2005 – Senate

To impose sanctions against perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Darfur , Sudan, and for other purposes.

Mr. CORZINE (for himself, Mr. BROWNBACK, Mr. DODD, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. FEINGOLD, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. TALENT, Mr. DEWINE, and Mr. COBURN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

SUMMARY AND STATUS OF S 495:

Title: A bill to impose sanctions against perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Darfur, Sudan, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Corzine, Jon S. (introduced 3/2/2005) Cosponsors (37)
Latest Major Action: 3/2/2005 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

SUMMARY AS OF: 3/2/2005--Introduced.

Darfur Accountability Act of 2005 –

Directs the President to: (1) freeze the assets of persons (and family members) named by the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur to the United Nations (UN) Secretary General as perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Darfur, Sudan, and report such assets to the Office of Foreign Assets Control;

(2) deny visas and entry to such persons, and to anyone the President determines has been, is, or may be involved in such activities in Darfur; and

(3) report the names of such persons to the appropriate congressional committees.

As I mentioned above, I hope that legal and legislative mavens will step forward and clarify the main points of this pending legislation. We all need to determine how we should best apply our activism efforts - AND THEN DO IT!!!

[Coexist]

16. kick

[Flying Dream Blues]

19. Kick! n/t

[G_j]

20. kick

[Nothing Without Hope]

21. Further update on legislation and a POWERFUL LTTE in the LA Times

A search on "Darfur" in the LA Times turned very few recent hits. The most recent one (May 16) was worth seeing, though not written by the newspaper's reporters. It is a LTTE written in response to a May 12 LAT article.

I'm hoping the legislature mavens will expand on this. What legislation is left, and is its wording changed from the origiinal? Is the "House bill" that was included as part of a supplementary appropriations bill the same as HR 1424, or is that now dead? We need clarification on this.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-le-darfur16.1may16,1,3029873.story
May 16, 2005

While Darfur Dies, Bush Administration Nods

The article "U.S. Focuses on Aiding African Union in Darfur" (May 12) might more aptly have been titled "After Declaring a Genocide, Bush Abandons Darfur."

For the Bush administration to oppose the bipartisan measure that passed the Senate is a travesty. Due to administration opposition, House Republican leaders deleted the measure from the final version of a supplemental appropriations bill. The measure had called for sanctions against Sudan and a "no-fly" zone to stop the killing of innocents in Darfur.

The administration labeled what is happening in the Darfur region genocide; President Bush boldly declared "not on my watch," clearly meaning that he would not allow a genocide like the one that occurred in Rwanda to happen during his administration. Now, to have the unmitigated gall to actively work against a serious move by Congress to exert pressure on Sudan to stop the genocide in Darfur is outrageous and should offend the hearts, minds and souls of all Americans, be they Democrats or Republicans.

Shame on the president and shame on the American public if we stand idly by while yet another genocide is carried out.

Janice Kamenir-Reznik

Encino

edited to add the LAT link

[Coexist]

22. kick

[Nothing Without Hope]

23. Both Darfur Genocide Accountability bills still in play - BuzzFlash op/ed

The author of this BuzzFlash op/ed, an Amnesty International coordinator, says that both the Senate and the House versions of Dafur Genocide Accountability Acts are still in play and urges us to push our legislators to support them. (She doesn't seem to realize that two bills differ in their provisions.) I have deleted those sections of the article (as well as the parts about the Rwandan genocide) in getting down to the maximum allowed 4 paragraphs because I wanted to keep the paragraphs that summarize the actions of the regimie that the Bush administration is cozying up to - see upthread if you have an iron stomach.

The parallels of the current Darfur genocide with the 1994 Rwandan massacres, in which over 800,000 people died, are obvious. The failure of the US government to take action then is arguably the greatest failure of the Clinton administration. The author of this Buzzflash editorial strongly recommends the Hotel Rwanda and points out that is now available on DVD as a BuzzFlash premium:
http://www.buzzflash.com/premiums/05/03/pre05038.html
http://www.buzzflash.com.nyud.net:8090/premiums/05/03/images/rwanda_200.jpg

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/05/05/con05180.html
May 19, 2005

"Hotel Rwanda" and the American Conscience

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
by Mary Shaw

(snip)

The Sudanese government is restricting access for humanitarian aid agencies, and so numerous people are in danger of starvation and illness. The authorities are demolishing homes in settlements for displaced people and calling it "urban renewal."

The Janjawid are using rape as a weapon of war. Countless Sudanese women and girls have been abducted, branded, and forced to service the Janjawid and government officials as sex slaves. As a result, many of these women and girls have contracted HIV from their rapists, along with emotional scars that will never heal.

Weapons continue to flow into Sudan from Russia, China, France, and Saudi Arabia, contributing to the ongoing violence. And thousands of innocent civilians continue to die each month.

(snip)

Today, there is a single peacekeeping force -- the UN-supported African Union (AU) Mission in Darfur -- on the ground. However, the AU mission, in its current form, cannot adequately address the crisis.

(snip)

Mary Shaw

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION

Mary Shaw is a Philadelphia-based writer and activist. She currently serves as Philadelphia Area Coordinator for Amnesty International, and her views on politics, human rights, and social justice issues have appeared in numerous online forums and in newspapers and magazines worldwide. E-mail [email protected].

[Nothing Without Hope]

24. Please keep this thread alive and growing n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

25. Nothing in three hours - has everyone lost interest? n/t

[Adelante]

26. Illinois Legislature votes to cut Sudan ties -- $1 Billion

May. 20, 2005


Ill. Legislature votes to cut Sudan ties

MARY TALLON

Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois lawmakers have voted to have the state sell off about $1 billion worth of investments in companies doing business with Sudan, part of a nationwide campaign to protest genocide in the African nation.

If Gov. Rod Blagojevich signs the legislation, Illinois would become the first state in the nation to pull investments from companies with Sudanese ties. Similar legislation is pending elsewhere, and Harvard University also recently announced plans to stop Sudanese investments.

The Sudanese region of Darfur has been the site of an upheaval where about 180,000 people have died since fighting flared in February 2003. An estimated 2 million others have been forced to flee the region.

The conflict erupted when rebels took up arms against what they saw as years of state neglect and discrimination against Sudanese of African origin. The government is accused of responding with wide-scale abuses against the African population.

-more-

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/11699994.htm

[Adelante]

27. May 24 2005 Open Letter to Bush to halt the genocide

An important "open letter" to President Bush, demanding that he do more to halt genocide in Darfur, will be released (along with a full list of signatories) at a media briefing hosted by Africa Action in Washington, DC on May 24, 9:30am in the John Hay Room at the Hay Adams Hotel, 16th and H Streets, NW. The letter has support from several members of Congress, as well as many national organizations and religious denominations.

http://www.sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=9675

This is Africa Action's petition:

Please Sign PETITION Demanding U.S. Action to Stop Genocide in Darfur!
We seek 400,000 signatures demanding President Bush take action

Dear Friends,

Recent reports confirm that up to 400,000 people have died in Darfur as a result of the government-sponsored genocide. More than 2.5 million people have been displaced from their homes. A deadly government-engineered famine is imminent, and it threatens to kill many more people. Nothing short of international intervention can protect the people of Darfur. We must demand that the U.S. government do everything necessary through the United Nations (UN) to ensure an urgent multinational intervention to protect civilians in Darfur.

In commemoration of the 400,000 dead in Darfur, we are launching a petition drive to raise 400,000 voices of conscience across the country demanding immediate action to protect the vulnerable people of Darfur. The Darfur genocide petition calls on the President to assert U.S. leadership by taking every step necessary through the United Nations to:

- Establish a mandate for an international force to protect civilians

- Deploy such a force in support of existing African Union efforts in Darfur

The United States has a unique capacity and clear obligation to take immediate action. Unless there is an urgent international intervention in Darfur, up to a million people may be dead by the end of this year.

We are hoping not only that you will sign the petition, but also actively help secure signatures from your friends, families, colleagues and strangers. We are seeking at least 400,000 signatures. Every signature can help stop the genocide in Darfur. Government officials who remained silent during the Rwandan genocide regularly claim that if Americans had clamored for more government action, the U.S. would have been forced to work with the UN to intervene, and could have saved thousands of lives. We have the power to guarantee protection for the people of Darfur.

You can sign the petition online by filling out your information below and sending your demands directly to the President. Please forward this email to solicit signatures. You can also download a copy of the petition to use for collecting signatures. If you want hard copies mailed to you, email us at [email protected] .

Last year, Africa Action sponsored a petition drive aimed at former Secretary of State Colin Powell demanding the Darfur crisis be recognized as genocide. That petition drew 30,000 signatures in three weeks, and directly contributed to the acknowledgement by the Administration that genocide was occurring in Darfur.

Now the United States has started to backtrack on its statements. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick recently refused to describe the crisis as genocide and has actually been engaging the genocidal regime in Sudan. In March, a White House official insisted the President was “still very focused” on Darfur, but added, “there are other issues that the president finds more pressing.” What could be more pressing than genocide?



Sign Here:

http://capwiz.com/africaaction/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=7495271

[Nothing Without Hope]

29. NYT: Darfur death estimate is 400,000 – Bush admin estimates are TOO LOW

The Bush Administration’s estimates of the deaths in the Darfur genocide have been consistently much lower than those made by other groups. Who is right?

This New York Times article addresses this question and finds that the current best estimate is 400,000 dead, several times higher than the Administration’s numbers. This is consistent with the overall backing off of the Administration from any real attempt to stop the genocide; instead, they are playing politics with the butchers for their own gains.

“Culture of life”? Maybe if the Sudanese were all persistent-vegetative-state white women with lots of cameras watching, they might get a response.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/18/international/africa/18letter.html?pagewanted=1
LETTER FROM AFRICA

The Mournful Math of Darfur: The Dead Don't Add Up

By MARC LACEY
Published: May 18, 2005
KHARTOUM, Sudan –

(snip)

Is the death toll between 60,000 and 160,000, as Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick told reporters during a recent trip to the region?

Or is it closer to the roughly 400,000 dead reported recently by the Coalition for International Justice, a Washington-based nongovernmental organization that was hired by the United States Agency for International Development to try to determine whether the killing amounts to genocide. (Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell called the Darfur killing genocide last year, but Mr. Zoellick has studiously avoided the issue.) The State Department has said the higher mortality figures offered by some groups are "skewed" by overestimates of the number of deaths from violence in Darfur, rather than from disease and other causes.

(snip - This section includes an explanaton of how the death estimate from killings was arrived at. The number is rough but reasonable.)

From this survey, the coalition's researchers established a death rate of 1.2 per 10,000, which is alarmingly high. Applying that figure to the estimated number of displaced people in Chad, the coalition concluded that 142,944 people may have been killed by government forces or allied militias, the main groups ravaging the civilian population.

(snip)

The Coalition for International Justice then took the W.H.O. study and - assuming that same number of people died in the beginning of the conflict from sickness as two years later - projected the death estimates for the entire Darfur war. The total number of health-related deaths came to 253,619, for a grand total of 396,563 deaths.

(snip)

These are the best available numbers for the deaths in Darfur SO FAR. The Bush Administration can't even tell the truth about the dead.

[Adelante]

30. Stuff we can do to help

Calendar of local events

http://www.darfurgenocide.org/localevents.php

Local Activism - Ideas and Resources


You can take huge steps towards stopping the genocide in Darfur by acting locally. Below, we've pulled together some ideas and resources to help you make an impact in your area.

Don't forget to tell us if you're organising an event! Send us the details at [email protected] and we'll post it on the site.

Ideas and Resources for Local Activism

*Organise a Protest:

Tips - as well as raising awareness about Darfur, ensure your protest has a "demand", e.g. that the international community intervene to secure aid supplies;
- pick a time and place where the maximum number of people will be able to participate, e.g. city center during workday lunch break, or at the weekend;
- contact local media to publicise and cover your protest;
- try to carry colourful/powerful banners or pictures;
- ask people to dress in costume (e.g. all black);
- stage a "Die-In";
- get a local band to play music;
- do street theatre (e.g. symbolising the death in Darfur).

*Raise Money for Humanitarian Relief:

Tips - decide which of the organisations working in Darfur you want to fund, see our Donate Page;
- hold a bake sale, a car boot sale, a T-Shirt sale, or show a video or slide show on Darfur to help raise money;
- contact local media to publicise and cover your event.

*Write to Local Newspapers:

Tips - click here for a directory of local newspapers in the US;
- click here for a sample letter from an activist in California, USA
- if you're working as a group, divide up the newspapers in your area between you;
- write a letter, or submit an article;
- write as an individual, or on behalf of your local activist group etc.
- key facts and points you may want to make in any letter or article
(please also use our "Info Page"):

** It’s genocide. The Arab Janjuweed militias, backed by the Government of Sudan, have bombed and burnt the black, muslim population of Darfur from their homes. They've destroyed their crops and poisoned their water supplies. Now they're preventing life-saving food and medicine from reaching them.

** Over 130 countries, including the US, Canada, the UK and most other EU countries (Full List) have signed an International Convention committing them to act to prevent genocide anywhere in the world. That’s why no government wants to call Darfur a genocide.

** 1,000 people are dying every day. Over 400,000 have already died or are passed saving; the death toll could reach over 1 million.

** Time is the worst enemy. In a matter of months the disease and starvation will have done their job. We must act now.

** Only an international humanitarian intervention to protect the civilians and ensure aid reaches them can save the people of Darfur.

** Publicise what you're doing locally, and the www.darfurgenocide.org international campaigns.

* Contact Local Media

Try to get the local media to publicise and cover any events or actions you organise. Local press are always interested in things happening "on their patch", particularly if they link into a broader national, or international issue.

Here are lists of local media in the US:
Newspapers
Television Stations
Radio Stations

http://www.darfurgenocide.org/localideas.php

[Nothing Without Hope]

32. Thank you for your great posts on this, WesDem! n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

31. Reuters: "U.N. urges more world pressure to resolve Darfur"

It's currently on track to become another genocide on the scale of the 1994 Rwanda massacre - about which the US did basically nothing.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N19503876.htm

U.N. urges more world pressure to resolve Darfur

19 May 2005 19:50:26 GMT
Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON, May 19 (Reuters) - U.N. member states need to exert more political pressure to resolve the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region, which has the potential to become the next Rwanda, a top U.N. official said on Thursday.

Mark Malloch Brown, chief of staff to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, told lawmakers what was happening in Darfur reflected a lack of willingness of the international community to get involved.

"Darfur is the litmus test. It has the potential to be the Rwanda on our watch," he told a House of Representatives International Relations Committee hearing on reforming the United Nations.

Malloch Brown said talk about reforming the United Nations would amount to nothing if Darfur became another Rwanda, referring to the 1994 genocide in the central African country that resulted in the deaths of some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

(snip)

[FrenchieCat]

33. Thank You!

Thank you.

[Nothing Without Hope]

34. YVW. Thanks to all who have added such great posts, we've made a RESOURCE

I'll keep adding to this thread for as long as makes sense and then start a new one, maybe in a few days if this one gets too unwieldy. I'll post a link here when I do. We need to keep this issue in sight and clarify exactly what we as activists need to choose as our goals. We need more input on the ins and outs of those pending bills, for example, and ideas of who and how to push.

Anyone who wants me to PM them with a headsup when a new Darfur thread is eventually started, let me know. I'm going to try to keep this one going as long as I can - it's collecting a lot of good stuff. Too bad it will fall off the Greatest Page in a few hours. Much harder to keep visible then.

[Nothing Without Hope]

35. Kick - bedtime. Hope it stays kicked and more is added. Thank you all!

:hi:

[Nothing Without Hope]

36. my last kick of the night - hope someone else keeps it alive til tomorrow

This time for sure: good night! :boring:

[Nothing Without Hope]

37. OK, THIS REALLY IS my last kick of the night. n/t

[TheGunslinger]

38. Someone smell oil in Sudan?

[FrenchieCat]

39. It's there...the oil, I mean. But

The Powers-that-be there are friends of the Bush....so it's all the same. Send the UN in there to help the humanity.....and a power shift might occur. BushCo. can't chance that, as it would shake the balance that his cronies have arranged.

[TheGunslinger]

40. Friends of *? I guess I should do more research on Sudan

Wouldn't have anything to do with withholding bin Laden from Clinton, would it?

[FrenchieCat]

41. Hell, Osama's probably in the Sudan....as we speak...for all we know.

War on Terra won't be the same effective War on Terra if Osama get's caught....

you know.

[Vladimir]

42. I'll tell you a funny thing about oil in Sudan

China has a serious vested interest:

http://incommunicado.info/node/170

China first established a presence in the unexploited Muglad oilfields of southern Sudan 10 years ago. Now it imports 50% of the region’s crude oil, and 13 of the 15 most important foreign companies operating in Sudan are Chinese, from the China National Petroleum Corporation to the Zhongyuan Petroleum Corporation. The cynicism of the government in Beijing became apparent in September 2004, when the UN security council passed resolution 1564, announcing an embargo on arms sales to Sudan. China’s UN ambassador, Wang Guangya, used the massacres in Darfur as a pretext for threatening to veto the resolution, before finally abstaining. The US-proposed resolution had already been significantly watered down. The incident is an indication of the strength of the ties linking the governments in Beijing and Khartoum.

[Vladimir]

43. I salute your indefatigability, NWH

its an important issue this, and deserves much kicking.

[Nothing Without Hope]

44. kick! Off the greatest page now and so needs more work to keep visible n/t

[Vladimir]

45. Kick n/t

[DulceDecorum]

46. African leaders meet on Sudan. Want no outside help.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1483471

[Vladimir]

47. No military help

but as far as I know, the AU has been consistent in asking for logistical support. Or am I wrong?

[DulceDecorum]

50. No.

There are some places where outsiders can be of assistance
BUT
military intervention is NOT one of them.

Some of us ARE actually in contact with Sudanese refugees
living in the area and in other refugee camps.
Some of us actually speak the languages
spoken by the displaced peoples
and some of us actually give a damn
for their own opinions of what needs to happen in Darfur.

Mr. Eric Reeves, of Smith College
(which is quite possibly the single most racist institution
that claims to be part of the Ivy League)
does not know of what he speaks.

April 24, 2005
Reeves's transformation from an authority on Shakespeare to a specialist on death in Darfur began in 1998, when he had a conversation with an official from Doctors Without Borders, a humanitarian group that he supported with regular donations. That talk persuaded him to become a champion for Sudan.
Since then, he has written opinion articles and Internet postings railing against the Arab government in northern Sudan that has been blamed for spurring a seemingly endless war with rebels in the mostly African, Christian, and animist south. The work became all-consuming. Reeves took two sabbaticals and three unpaid leaves to do it full time.
In 2003, he traveled to Sudan as a peace deal was being hammered out. He returned home exhilarated, but one month later, his world fell apart. A minor sickness he contracted in Sudan led to a checkup that detected leukemia.
<snip>
Reeves has attacked nearly everyone involved in Sudan for failing to stop the killings. He calls the United Nations ''incompetent," the president of the African Union a ''shameful" liar, and the press ''irresponsible."
http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2005/04/24/ailing_professor_fights_for_darfurs_dead/

When someone dies in the US,
people ask the family how they can be of assistance.
Who here dares to barge into a house of mourning and order the bereaved about?
That simply is NOT done
and I for one would gladly assist
in physically removing such a person from the premises.
Wouldn't you?

No,
you wait for instructions and you very politely offer your help and refrain from getting all huffy when the family chooses to do something that you yourself would not do if it were your own relative lying there. You show respect, fellow humans, you show respect when you enter into the house of the family of the deceased.

Black Hawk Down was a movie that was used for propaganda purposes.
It would appear Actor Don Cheadle has decided that PR work is more lucrative than straight up movie acting.
http://usinfo.state.gov/gi/Archive/2005/Jan/28-131991.html
http://www.royce.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=21702
http://usinfo.state.gov/gi/Archive/2005/Jan/28-761674.html

Friday, January 28, 2005 Posted: 0348 GMT (1148 HKT)
Royce, chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa of the International Relations Committee, is demanding the U.S. government push harder for U.N. sanctions against the Sudanese government.
"This is not a problem for Africans alone to solve. The whole world must be engaged," he said.
Accompanying the mission was actor Don Cheadle, nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the film "Hotel Rwanda."
Cheadle was invited to go on the trip by Royce after the two discussed how the film, which is set amid the genocide in Rwanda 10 years ago, might help end the crisis in Darfur.
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/01/27/sudan.us/

Ed Royce does not appear to hold the wishes of the bereaved in high regard. Nor does anyone who went on that trip appear to see the presence of the REAL Paul Rusesabagina,
the hotel manager who sheltered more than 1,200 people during the Rwandan genocide a decade ago, (Cheadle portrays him in the movie)
as more than a prop.

[Vladimir]

52. I appreciate the passion

but in this instance its misdirected, since I am certainly opposed to Western forces going anywhere near Darfur. Having said which it has been my impression all along that the AU has asked for *logistical* (i.e. in terms of equipment, funding, and similar) help from the West, something your links don't really address.

[FrenchieCat]

48. Key Word: African Leaders

Wants to keep us out....and so does George Bush.

Out of time in Darfur
By Wesley Clark and John Prendergast | Jul 06 '04

For the past year, the international community has shamefully acquiesced to the crimes against humanity occurring daily in the Sudanese province of Darfur.

"Janjaweed" militias, Arabs backed by the Sudanese government, are continuing to conduct mop-up operations against non-Arab villagers in a massive ethnic-cleansing campaign in the region.
http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/USATODAY/2004/07/06/50105...

[DulceDecorum]

51. Have you spoken to any Sudanese refugees currently in Africa?

Because all the ones I know
do not want intervention from people who are not from Africa.
http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/occupation/2005/0517lament.htm

When China has that SARS problem, I was very concerned.
When the tsunami hit I offered my help.
In both instances I was given to understand that my actual presence there would be more of a distraction than a help.
So I stayed my ass home.

I don't speak much Chinese and I am not even certain of the languages spoken in Indonesia. The people who live there are in a much better position to help each other than I am. But if and when they need me, I stand to be of assistance.

[FrenchieCat]

53. No, I haven't spoken to the Sudanese...

But I AM Black....my brother lived in Jarkata for 4 years (and I visited him frequently) until he moved to Bangkok....and my daughter speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin (aside from French and English, which we all speak)and attends a Chinese High School in the Bay Area.

What I can tell you is this, in my opinion, your concerns as to what the Sudanese people want is off target. They want to live. And your attempts to desuade others to help is misplaced.

[DulceDecorum]

69. Sudanese people within the US

are represented by the Embassy of the Republic of Sudan to the US.
The Embassy of Sudan maintains a website.
On this website are many articles.
http://www.sudanembassy.org/default.asp?page=newsevents
I think that it is only fair for those who are truly interested in Darfur
to at least look at the articles on this website.
http://www.sudanembassy.org/default.asp?page=newsevents

Even the most vile criminal is entitled to a trial, where he is allowed to speak in his own defense.
Please look through the articles on this site.
Many of them have appeared in the US media and Sudan does NOT control that.
Here is the link.
http://www.sudanembassy.org/default.asp?page=newsevents

Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Mr. Speaker, this resolution was never marked-up in the House International Relations Committee, on which I serve. Therefore, Members of that committee had no opportunity to amend it or express their views before it was sent to the Floor for a vote. Like too many highly controversial bills, it was rushed onto the suspension calendar (by House rules reserved for “non-controversial” legislation) at the last minute. Perhaps there was a concern that if Members had more time to consider the bill they would cringe ...
http://www.sudanembassy.org/default.asp?page=viewstory&id=303
http://www.antiwar.com/paul/?articleid=4053

Tuesday, August 10, 2004
"We are not in the situation of genocide there," said Pieter Feith, who headed the mission as the personal representative for Sudan of EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana.
"But it is clear there is widespread, silent and slow killing going on and village burning of a fairly large scale."
His delegation had arrived in Darfur last Tuesday for a five-day mission to evaluate how the EU can help implement a ceasefire in the western region.
http://www.sudanembassy.org/default.asp?page=viewstory&id=304

Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Rather than comment on each and every erroneous story bylined in your newspaper, I would instead suggest that The New York Times try sending one or two of your prize-winning investigative reporters to Sudan to see for themselves what is happening in Darfur and, equally important, why it is happening. Then America’s newspaper of record will be providing a service in the best traditions of a great institution.
Ambassador Khidir Haroun Ahmed
Chief of Mission,
Sudan Embassy, Washington DC
http://www.sudanembassy.org/default.asp?page=viewstory&id=262

An Open Letter to the African-American Community
Monday, September 08, 2003
http://www.sudanembassy.org/default.asp?page=viewstory&id=205

[Nothing Without Hope]

49. kick n/t

[savannahana]

54. the Amnesty International website is an excellent resource

with good navigation and search capabilities, ongoing updates, and perpetual history.

Sudan Crisis overview page:

http://web.amnesty.org/pages/sdn-index-eng


Library: online documentation archive: Sudan

http://web.amnesty.org/library/eng-sdn/index


Thank you for this thread, NWH; I'll watch for any others you post on these issues, & meantime continue to educate myself.

Thanks to everyone posting here for all the information, and for your committment.

A friend of ours spent 1998 in Rwanda, working with survivors there. On returning to the US early in 1999, he said that he believed it was only a matter of time before Africa would experience more of the same.

Hoping to talk with him again soon. Any perspectives, ideas, or advice he may have regarding Darfur, I'll report back here.

ana

[Nothing Without Hope]

55. Thank you, ana! It's gratifying to see all the resources that have

already been collected in this thread. In future thread, whoever posts them, let's keep a link to this thread in the opening post and post the links to new threads here. That way we can find things. Eventually we can collect the most important parts into Wikipedia or some other more organized format.

Until I post a new thread, I'll continue to add things I find to this one and I hope others will also.

[Adelante]

56. kick

:kick:

[savannahana]

65. wikipedia link, since you mentioned it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_conflict

will do, Hope, as to the thread-linkings: always a good idea on DU :-)

i'll be watching, or PM me if you like, when you decide to start a new thread; will do my best to help you tend it.

my Rwanda-experienced friend (the worker there in 1998) is out of town right now, but his wife took my message -- so maybe i can talk with him later this week.

thanks again for all your work on this issue - i've learned a lot more than i knew before just because you made this thread & brought it to attention (that's part of why we hang out here so much, eh? :-))

ana

[Nothing Without Hope]

57. kick n/t

[savannahana]

58. Kick n/t

[applegrove]

59. UNICEF is doing a drive on Darfur. Sending money there is always

good. They have all the linkages on the spot being with the UN. So I would imagine admin costs are minimal.

[CC]

60. kick

:kick:

[savannahana]

61. "An Ally From Hell" - Nat Hentoff in The Village Voice 5/20/05

Hope & others, note his reference to "a carefully documented report by Ken Silverstein in the April 29 Los Angeles Times, which has had far too little follow-up by the media" -- I'm looking for a link to this report; thinking the LTTE in LA Times posted above may have been in response to Silverstein's piece.

Liberty Beat

An Ally From Hell

CIA's close relationship with Sudan's government enables genocide there to continue

by Nat Hentoff
May 20th, 2005 5:06 PM


During George W. Bush's campaign to spread the spirit—and eventually the letter—of freedom and democracy to other lands, he has made some nightmarish allies. Torture of prisoners, homegrown or supplied by the CIA, has been endemic in Jordan, Yemen, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Uzbekistan. In the latter's prisons, the specialty of the house is boiling prisoners, including political prisoners, to death.

But now—thanks to a carefully documented report by Ken Silverstein in the April 29 Los Angeles Times, which has had far too little follow-up by the media—it is clear that the CIA, with the blessings of the Bush administration, is closely connected to the horrifying government of Lieutenant General Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir, the head perpetrator of the ongoing genocide in Darfur: over 400,000 black Africans dead, with some 500 more dying every day, and more than two million, many in peril of starvation, turned into refugees as their homes and villages are destroyed.

The lead to the L.A. Times story by Ken Silverstein, datelined Khartoum: "The Bush administration has forged a close intelligence partnership with the Islamic regime that once welcomed Osama bin Laden. . . . The Sudanese government . . . has been providing access to terrorism suspects and sharing intelligence data with the United States."

Before going into more details of this alliance from hell, the story explains the great concern of New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof—who should have won this year's Pulitzer Prize, instead of being a finalist, because he has done more than any other journalist in the world to keep the pressure on George W. Bush, the United Nations, and every one of us to force the government of Sudan to stop the killings, the mass rapes, and the murders of black Africans and their children.

continued here:

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0521,hentoff,64218,2.html

That margin note, "Not on my watch" daily becomes a fresh obscenity.
Yes, *on your watch*, Mr. Unnatural Selection:

"over 400,000 black Africans dead, with some 500 more dying every day, and more than two million, many in peril of starvation, turned into refugees as their homes and villages are destroyed"

"the killings, the mass rapes, and the murders of black Africans and their children"


More to follow.
ana

[Coexist]

62. this always makes me want to cry

[savannahana]

64. read below, FLDem5, the comments of 14-year-old Jordan Denari

as published yesterday in the Indianapolis Star.

i alternate between crying & turning the air blue around me, y'know?

:cry: :mad: :cry: :mad: :cry: :mad: :cry: :mad: :cry:

:grouphug: young Jordan Denari :grouphug:

:hug: FLDem5 :hug:

[savannahana]

63. Jordan Denari in the Indianapolis Star, 5/22/05

Note that these comments appeared in the "Indiana Living" section.
It would seem that the writer's byline indicates his age as 14.
I could be mis-reading this, but if correct -- wow.

May 22, 2005

Can we really say 'never again' to genocide?

By Jordan Denari, 14


According to Paul Rusesabagina, the two most abused words in the world are "never" and "again." In 1993, the Holocaust Museum opened in Washington, D.C.

At the dedication, people spoke of the atrocities and how the world would never again tolerate genocide. A year later, halfway around the world, at least 800,000 men, women and children were systematically killed while the international community turned its back.

After the Rwandan genocide, many world leaders apologized for not stepping in. In an address marking the 10th anniversary of the disaster, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan admitted his own shortcomings.

"Neither the Security Council, the U.N. Secretariat, governments in general nor the international media paid enough attention to the gather signs of disaster," he said. "There was more that I could and should have done to sound the alarm and rally support."

The United Nations is helping Rwanda now with aid and justice. In November 1994, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was formed to prosecute persons responsible for the genocide. But as of March, only 20 convictions had been obtained.

Rusesabagina says few leaders are willing to stand up to a nation that fails to come to the aid of its people. "There are many superpowers which will always say 'no' because of political strategies and economic interests."

Even after the numerous apologies, the world has again failed to keep its promise of "never again." Since 1993, genocide has occurred in Cambodia and Kosovo, in addition to Rwanda, and it is still taking place in Sudan, Burundi and the Congo. Since 1996, 4 million people have been killed in the Congo alone, and hundreds of thousands have died in Darfur, Sudan, along with the 2 million who have been displaced from their villages.

Rusesabagina says it is up to today's generation to prevent mass murder from continuing. Will we be able to say "never again" and actually mean it?

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050522/LIVING/505220387

on edit: added link

[DulceDecorum]

70. These children are from Indianapolis NOT Darfur.

Since 1990, a team of young reporters based at The Children's Museum has produced stories and special reports that appear in The Indianapolis Star.
It was begun as Children's Express, a national group with bureaus in several cities. In November 1999, the local bureau became independent and was renamed Y-Press.
Members of the nonprofit youth organization research and write the stories. Reporters are ages 10 to 13; editors are ages 14 to 18. Topics have included gangs, teen pregnancy and stuttering.
http://www2.indystar.com/articles/2/048171-9092-139.html

Y-Press...

* is a nonprofit youth news bureau that stresses youth development and leadership skills. It is located downtown, in The Indianapolis Star building.
* began as a Children’s Express bureau in 1990. In November 1999, it became an independent news bureau, renamed Y-Press, with continued operations at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. In 2004, Y-Press left the museum and became an independent organization with nonprofit IRS status.
* is a youth-driven organization that gives children a voice in the world through journalism. Members build communication skills by producing stories with a youth perspective.
* produces a weekly column that appears in The Indianapolis Star (369,101 circulation) on Sundays. Stories are researched, reported and written by reporters (ages 10-13) and editors (ages 14-18) for audiences of all ages.
http://www.ypress.org/documents/about.html

May 22, 2005
Y-press
'Hotel Rwanda' reality is horrific
Five Y-Press members interviewed Rusesabagina when he spoke at DePauw University in Greencastle last month. On this page, they offer some of their impressions:
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050522/LIVING/505220385/1007

May 22, 2005
Free and active press is a learned lesson
By Zoé Hayes, 16
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050522/LIVING/505220390

May 22, 2005
Reconciliation is a difficult balance
By Keisha Mitchell, 16
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050522/LIVING/505220344

May 22, 2005
America can have role in keeping history from repeating itself
by Malachi Carter, 13
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050522/LIVING/505220388

May 22, 2005
Sacrifices come with being a hero and trying to do the right thing
By Steven Thompson, 13
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050522/LIVING/505220389

May 22, 2005
Looking for a lasting peace before returning
By Izaak Hayes, 14
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050522/LIVING/505220386

May 22, 2005
Can we really say 'never again' to genocide?
By Jordan Denari, 14
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050522/LIVING/505220387

Nice try.

[savannahana]

66. more resources: Physicians for Human Rights: Darfur, Sudan

wow: superb links & information here >>

http://www.phrusa.org/research/sudan/

video, audio; updates sign-up; a case study of Furawiya Village;
link to State Dept. satellite image showing destruction in Sudan;
donation link; newslinks; PHR documents on Sudan

[savannahana]

67. shortcut directory comprehensive links page for Darfur, Sudan

http://www.imeplace.com/cares_concerns_causes/darfur_sudan.htm

definitely a keeper, for this issue/region & many others

ana

[savannahana]

68. LAT archive reference/abstract for Silverstein article (see #61 above)

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/829106461.html?did=829106461&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&date=Apr+29%2C+2005&author=Ken+Silverstein&desc=The+World%3B+Official+Pariah+Sudan+Valuable+to+America%27s+War+on+Terrorism%3B+Despite+once+harboring+Bin+Laden%2C+Khartoum+regime+has+supplied+key+intelligence%2C+officials+say.

($3.95 to purchase the full text)

The World; Official Pariah Sudan Valuable to America's War on Terrorism; Despite once harboring Bin Laden, Khartoum regime has supplied key intelligence, officials say.;
Ken Silverstein. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif.: Apr 29, 2005. pg. A.1

Subjects: Alliances, Terrorism, International relations-US -- Sudan, Intelligence gathering
Locations: United States, US, Sudan
Document types: News
Dateline: KHARTOUM, Sudan
Section: Main News; Part A; Foreign Desk
ISSN/ISBN: 04583035
Text Word Count 3135
Document URL:

Abstract (Document Summary)

The Sudanese government, an unlikely ally in the U.S. fight against terror, remains on the most recent U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. At the same time, however, it has been providing access to terrorism suspects and sharing intelligence data with the United States.

The administration accepted an invitation by Sudan to send a CIA-FBI counter-terrorism team to Khartoum in mid-2000, but otherwise

<truncation of freebie>


striking, how that "Subject reference" reads:

Alliances, Terrorism, International relations-US -- Sudan, Intelligence gathering

[Adelante]

72. same article free

http://www.sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=9335

[savannahana]

73. thank you, WesDem! n/t

[savannahana]

71. kick

:kick:

[Nothing Without Hope]

74. I'll post more new material in this thread tomorrow. n/t

[ebayfool]

75. NWH - you have such a heart, I'm following this as best I can.

Catching up on the links, doing the steps I can - any idea which of the relief/aid sites get the donations transferred in the most complete & efficient method to those poor people? I don't have alot, but I can try to nudge some of the people I work for to go w/what I can come up with. I know they're all good orgs, but is there any that stand out as going more directly to where it's needed?

Kicking for the night - that I CAN do!

[Nothing Without Hope]

77. Thanks dj - you have put your finger on our challenge as DUers.

Please read the post I made below (Reply #76, I think) and see what you think. I'm considering reposting it as the start of a new thread in GD later today, but I'd rather get input first. After all, it's just off the top of my head, not really organized, and I am very far from an expert on any of this.

[Nothing Without Hope]

76. DARFUR: These are among the questions that we need answers for:

These are the points that are off the top of my head. I invite you to discuss them and put forward your own:. I will number them to make them easier to refer to, but they are in no particular order. Please read them, think about them, put your own into play, and start the process that will lead to better understanding.

1. Donation/Charities: Which are the best places to donate? There needs to be a complete and efficient conduit to the people who need it most. This in turn requires not only a well-run and honest organization, but ACCESS and COMMUNICATION. I don't know what the various aid organizations are doing in this arena. We need to find out.
   
   
2. Legislation: Upthread I have given summaries of three bills and a resolution in the US Congress that are specifically directed at the Darfur situation ( http://tinyurl.com/d2osl - and both of the "Darfur Genocide Accountability" bills are still in play). We need a legal/legislative maven to look at these and give us advice on what are the most important provisions, what needs to be pushed, and how to push it. Even I can see significant differences between the Senate bill and the House one, with the latter being more powerful. There are also about 10 additional hits in Thomas on a search with "Darfur." That means that Darfur is mentioned somewhere in them, even though their titles don't seem directly related. We need to know what is going on with those - there may be sections that are important.
   
   
3. Political associations with Darfur: Upthread entries also deal with the unsavory interaction of the Bush Administration and the butchers responsible for the policies driving the killing. We need to understand this interaction fully and unmask the connections. If our own government is in fact promoting the power of the butchers, we need to know it and expose it for what it is.
   
   
4. Disinformation by the Bush Administration: The Bush Administration has misinformed the American public about important aspects of the Darfur situation, such as consistently giving mortality estimates that are far too low ( http://tinyurl.com/7g7dd ). They also have a relationship with a faction there that has primary responsibility for the genocide see the previous entry in this list). What other lies are they telling? And how are these being spread by the compliant news media?
   
   
5. Global response: How can the rest of the world best act to stop the horrors in Darfur? Specific requests have been made and some countries, like Canada, are already responding to them (Canada's response was described at the beginning of the first post). The US should not be a lone cowboy blundering around, we need to coordinate with other countries in a wise and well-planned way to alleviate the suffering and stop the horror. What should be the US priorities in dealing with Darfur? And how can we coordinate with other countries and with people within Darfur to best address this crisis?
   
   
6. Events and organized activism: There are sites with Darfur/Sudan-related events listed. We need to provide consistent and comprehensive links to such events. We also need to help spread the word on them through the media and blogs - one of our strengths. And we need to consider what forms of activism, with what specific target audiences and goals, we might initiate ourselves.
   
   
7. Reports and first-hand observation: To plan wisely, we must know what is going on in Darfur, a complex and ever-evolving situation. We need to find out sources for this information and organize a way to link to and report on it in a way that concerned but busy people can grasp and respond to appropriately.
   
   
8. Liaison/Cooperation among aid-giving organizations: What are the various Christian organizations doing in the Sudan? The Jewish? The Muslim? Other religious organizations? Other philanthropic organizations? The right and left hands need to know what each other is doing. This must be done in a way that reinforces the flow of aid into a smooth-flowing river, not a tangled miscellany of little rivulets. There needs to be a central place where all these good people can keep track of what is being done so that all needs are met without duplication or omission.
   
   
9. At Democratic Underground: On a much smaller but still important scale, we need to consider, with input from the admins at some point, how we can most efficiently organize here at DU to spread and maintain awareness of what needs to be done for the Darfur people and what can be done by the DU community. People here have good hearts but generally little time to try to figure out what they should do in a complex situation like this. Specific, practical goals need to be identified and plans made to facilitate reaching them. We all want to help the people of Darfur, but we need more practical and specific goals if we are to aim at them accurately and efficiently.

I invite you to discuss these points and put forward your own. I believe the format and size of DU as an activist community and communications network can make a significant contribution toward aiding the suffering people of Darfur, but we need to do some work to figure out exactly how we can best approach this.

I'm thinking that perhaps I should post this as a new thread later today. I think something like this needs to be done in order to facilitate discussion, taking care to cross-link to key posts within this thread and other info. This thread is getting pretty long for people with dialup modems anyway.

[Adelante]

78. Médecins Sans Frontières - Darfur Appeal

The MSF role in emergency medical aid

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 80 countries. In countries where health structures are insufficient or even non-existant, MSF collaborates with authorities such as the Ministry of Health to provide assistance. MSF works in rehabilitation of hospitals and dispensaries, vaccination programmes and water and sanitation projects. MSF also works in remote health care centres, slum areas and provides training of local personnel. All this is done with the objective of rebuilding health structures to acceptable levels.

Médecins Sans Frontières - Darfur Appeal


http://www.msf.org/countries/page.cfm?articleid=F7BA0C1E-2D03-4138-BC4961A902527911



Give money!!

[Adelante]

79. kick

:kick:

[ebayfool]

80. This is something we CAN get behind & make a difference!

We need input, people!

:kick:

[applegrove]

81. I've started a new thread with these questions in the original post.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3722708#

Perhaps we can brainstorm there? Number 8 is really important. I've posted the Latest News from SAVE DARFUR from American Jewish World Service (AJWS). Don't know who they are but they are working hard - but they'll let me download their news and Skinner says that is fine all the way around.

But on #8 - I do think it is important that we somehow have a place as a clearing house for local events. So that we can cross lines and join up - and pressure the WH that way. On this issue.

Has anyone seen anyone who is doing this? Would be an enormous amount of work. Unless we can talk to others and agree on one site somewhere..where all disparate groups can sign in to promote their event. It is hard to ask DUers for action if we cannot say "ALL Chicago DUer Vigil tonight at such and such a place". The bigger the events..the more pressure. The more the ball rolls. Anyone seen such a spot - or is it just to huge to hope for?

Like the post says..we have to start crossing lines to get others to. And to scare the pants of the people in Khartoum.

[Nothing Without Hope]

82. To start a discussion on the questions I've raised, I've started a new

thread focussed just on them here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3724411
Thread title: “STOPPING THE DARFUR GENOCIDE: We need ANSWERS to these QUESTIONS:”

We need to divide this up, figure out what is going on, and make wise suggestons about what needs to be done in the various facets of this overwhelming tragedy. It needs COMMUNITY effort.

[Nothing Without Hope]

83. kick - so hard to keep the list of questions visible long enough for

people to become involved.

[Nothing Without Hope]

84. Kick - I urge you to look through the thread with the reposted questions

list here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3724411
Thread title: “STOPPING THE DARFUR GENOCIDE: We need ANSWERS to these QUESTIONS:”

And participate in working toward getting answers for Darfur. I'll add more news to this thread tonight. This current thread is intended as an information resource in addressing the questions.

[applegrove]

85. Check out today's Darfur: Daily News for May 26, 2005

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3736412#