NEWS ON SUDAN - MARCH 2010

Sign the petition: Sudan Sham 2010

UN News Centre: As Sudanese elections near, UN voices concern over reports of harassment. The United Nations expressed concern today about reports that some opposition party members and supporters in Sudan are being harassed, intimidated, arrested or detained ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections slated for next month. UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky, responding to questions from journalists at UN Headquarters in New York, said the world body is also concerned by the low rate of voter registration among internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Darfur region of western Sudan. He added that another concern is a series of technical challenges to the vote, such as the logistics of transporting election materials in areas with little infrastructure and how to recruit and train tens of thousands of poll workers.

Sudan Tribune: Japan to monitor Sudan's general election. The Japanese government intends to send a group of observers to Sudan next April to participate in the monitoring of the first general election in more than 20 years under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Tokyo is expected to send 15-20 personnel, including experts from the private sector and local embassy officials. These observers will work with those from other nations to inspect polling stations and monitor the counting of votes, reported Nikkei news service today. Japan's delegation is expected to remain there until mid-April, when the election results will have been announced.


Reuters: ICC prosecutor: Sudan poll like vote under Hitler. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Tuesday that monitoring Sudan's election next month would be like monitoring a vote in Hitler's Germany. Speaking a day after Bashir threatened to expel international election monitors for saying the vote may have to be delayed to deal with logistical problems, Moreno-Campo told a Brussels seminar.


WWMT - News Channel 3: Family from Darfur settling in Grand Rapids. A family from a war-torn country is getting a fresh start in Grand Rapids. That family of seven is from Darfur. They fled the Sudan back in 2003 and since then have bounced around in refugee camps until finally now coming to the U.S. This family has five kids and they need a lot of things to get started like clothing and household items.


The following commentary on Foreign Policy is by Sean P. Brooks: What the Islamic Conference got wrong on Darfur. Members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) pledged $850 million dollars for future development in Darfur on Sunday in Cairo. Egypt and Turkey co-chaired the donor's conference--which aimed to jumpstart international commitment to long-term reconstruction and development in Darfur after seven years of conflict, mass displacement, and humanitarian crisis. Some countries making generous pledges willfully ignored the ongoing security challenges and unresolved conflict between the Darfuri rebels and the Sudanese government. In this way, the OIC--like the League of Arab States in its response to the Darfur crisis--sought to help the people of Darfur without addressing those most responsible for their deplorable conditions.

Standing with Darfur

If you want peace, work for justice
إذا كنت تريد السلام ، أعمل من أجل العدالة

StopGenocideNow.org

Tweet this button to read: @JimLangevin Call for a Intelligence Committee special hearing re: #Sudan policy review and demand pressures and consequences #SudanSham

GENOCIDE WILL only STOP WITH US

Our leaders have taught us this

Contact links:

President Obama:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
or for organizations at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/organizations

Secretary of State Clinton:
http://contact-us.state.gov/cgi-bin/state.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php

State Department Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/EngageStateDept

Ambassador Susan Rice:
http://archive.usun.state.gov/Issues/Contact2.html

Vice President Biden:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
or for organizations at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/organizations

And at http://sudansham2010.org/page3/page3.html
do the tweets but replace any reference to Senate Resolution 404
with something important like "Gration has got to go"
in words of your choosing.

Action to take: US RI Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Call (401) 453-5294 or Email

Message:
I would like to thank Senator Whitehouse for his continued efforts for Darfur and Sudan. The Sudan Policy’s quarterly review just happened. Sudan has clearly violated benchmarks, and Obama’s policy promised consequences and pressures if and when this happens. Senator Whitehouse, as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, should hold a hearing about the Sudan Policy quarterly review. The Senate Intelligence Committee members should ask about the specific benchmarks, pressures, and incentives in the policy, holding our administration to their word.