In the News

Al-Jazeera News: Colin Thomas-Jensen on Congo

Marianna Golovan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:21:57 -0500

Enough Project Policy Advisor Colin Thomas-Jensen discusses Congo on Al-Jazeera news.

Turkey defends decision to receive Sudanese president - Sudan Tribune

Marianna Golovan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:20:47 -0500

November 5, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – The Turkish government dismissed criticism over its invitation extended to the Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir to attend the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit this weekend.

The controversy surrounding Bashir’s visit stems from the outstanding arrest warrant for him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes allegedly committed in Darfur.

Sudan has not officially confirmed the Turkey visit though a presidential source told Reuters this week that Bashir plans to attend.

Various unnamed Turkish officials speaking to media asserted that their country is not one of the signatories of the Rome Statute which is the founding text of the ICC.

One official argued that they were simply hosting the OIC meeting with no say on who is invited.

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SUDAN: Poor start to Southern voter registration - IRIN Africa

Marianna Golovan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:02:04 -0500

JUBA, 5 November 2009 (IRIN) - Sudan has started registering voters for presidential, legislative and regional elections, but officials in the south and international observers say the process has begun on a flawed note.

"This process could easily be referred to as ‘dead on arrival’," Anne Itto, secretary-general for the south of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), said on 3 November.

The National Election Commission (NEC) deputy head Abdalla Ahmed, however, told the Sudan Tribune on 2 November that the NEC had mobilized concerned authorities to ensure the success of the exercise.

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Don Cheadle's poker playing has benefits - CNN.com

Marianna Golovan — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:56:49 -0400

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- "Hotel Rwanda" star Don Cheadle got a first-hand view of horror when he traveled to the devastated Darfur region of Sudan in 2005.

He saw what it's like in an area in which tens of thousands have died and many more have been rendered homeless.

He came back inspired to try to help. And this Thursday, he'll return to one of the efforts that has had the most impact.

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John Prendergrast On Genocide And Sudan - The Young Turks

Marianna Golovan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:18:53 -0400

John Prendergast in an interview on The Young Turks

Sudan's interlocking crises - Riz Khan Show

Marianna Golovan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:54:25 -0400

The UN warns that the situation between rebel and government forces is escalating in Sudan's Darfur region, with both sides massing troops, raising fears of more violence - just a day after the US announced a new policy towards peace in the shattered region.

The Obama administration offers 'incentives' to the Sudanese government to end conflicts across the country if the government reliefs the plight of their people.

But if Sudan did not act to improve the situation on the ground to establish long-term peace, the US said there would be stronger consequences and increased pressure imposed by the US and the international community.

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Darfur Activists Frustrated with Obama's Sudan Policy - AFP

Marianna Golovan — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:36:23 -0400

Supporters of President Obama have learned this year that the realities of government rarely live up to expectations. One group particularly angered by the White House's lack of action are activists and lobbyists for Darfur, who backed him in last year's election and wanted quick action to end the killing and start fixing the humanitarian disaster in the troubled Sudanese region. Frustrated by the absence of an official policy, groups such as the Save Darfur Coalition, the antigenocide advocacy organization the Enough Project, and Humanity United, a California foundation that provided a significant portion of the money behind the Darfur movement, lashed out at Obama in early September. Furious at the President for not keeping his campaign promises, they bought full-page advertisements in major U.S. newspapers (including the local paper in Martha's Vineyard, where the First Family was vacationing) and ads online, rallying supporters to call, e-mail, Twitter and Facebook the White House to remind Obama that he once said, "Sudan is a priority for this Administration" and "There must be real pressure placed on the Sudanese government."

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A New Approach to Darfur - CBS News

Marianna Golovan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:54:15 -0400

Over 300,000 people have died in the war-torn Darfur region of Western Sudan. As Chip Reid reports, the Obama White House says that they will take a new "kindler and gentler" approach to this region.

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US Announces 'Integrated' Policy for Sudan - Voice of America

Marianna Golovan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:31:26 -0400

The Obama administration has announced a new strategy of incentives and possible punitive actions to restore peace in Darfur and assure implementation of Sudan's north-south peace accord. Key benchmarks in the Sudanese peace process are approaching, including national elections next April.

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U.S. Launches New Strategy for Dealing With Sudan - PBS

Marianna Golovan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:35:16 -0400

The Obama administration announced a new strategy on Sudan, which includes offering incentives in exchange for a resolution on the crisis in Darfur. Ray Suarez speaks with General Scott Gration, special envoy to Sudan, for more.

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Obama's Sudan policy cautiously welcomed - Agence France-Press

Marianna Golovan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:56:08 -0400

Aid groups welcomed a new US carrot-and-stick policy toward Sudan but said its success depends on how hard President Barack Obama pushes his bid to stabilise the war-ravaged nation.

In particular, aid groups hailed the new administration for putting as much stress on ending the conflict in the western Darfur region as on carrying out the terms of a fragile 2005 agreement ending a 22-year civil war in the south.

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Plaudits for new US policy on Sudan - Agence France-Press

Marianna Golovan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:14:25 -0400

AID groups have welcomed a new US carrot-and-stick policy towards Sudan but say its success depends on how hard President Barack Obama pushes his bid to stabilize the war-ravaged nation.

In particular, aid groups hailed the US Government for putting as much stress on ending the conflict in the western Darfur region as on carrying out the terms of a fragile 2005 agreement ending a 22-year civil war in the south.

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North-south conflict to be emphasis of new U.S. policy on Sudan - The Washington Post

Marianna Golovan — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:04:17 -0400

The Obama administration's new policy toward Sudan, formally announced Monday, turns the spotlight back on where the troubled nation's problems first began: the split between the Islamic north and the largely animist and Christian south.

Although the world's attention has been focused on the tragedy in the Darfur region of western Sudan, administration officials argued Monday that a faltering peace accord that ended Africa's longest-running conflict is under increasing strain and needs to be repaired. If that deal -- brokered by the Bush administration in 2005 -- collapses, officials and analysts say, then hope will be lost for a solution to Darfur. The two-decade conflict between north and south led to the deaths of 2 million people.

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Obama Renews Sanctions, Adds Incentives on Sudan - The Wall Street Journal

Marianna Golovan — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:15:58 -0400

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will renew far-reaching economic sanctions on Sudan this month, underscoring his administration's pledge to use both carrots and sticks to induce cooperation from Khartoum on key security issues.

The announcement on sanctions came as the White House on Monday said it had established a new set of "benchmarks" for Sudan to meet in order to improve its ties with Washington.

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U.S. threatens Sudan sanctions - The Washington Times

Marianna Golovan — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:26:47 -0400

The new U.S. strategy continues to accuse Sudan of "genocide" in Darfur.

Ghazi Salaheedin, an adviser to Sudanese President Omar Bashir called the genocide accusations unfortunate. Sudan puts the civilian death toll at 10,000.

But Mr. Salaheedin characterized Mr. Obama's overall effort in upbeat terms.

"Compared to previous policies, there are positive points. We don't see the extreme ideas and suggestions, which we used to see in the past," Mr. Salaheedin told reporters in Khartoum, according to Agence France-Presse.

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