<body>

Monday, January 17, 2011

USA POLICY ON DARFUR IS NOT WORKING TWO YEARS INTO OBAMA'S LEADERSHIP


What could be worse than having Gration (since March 2009) be Obama's Special Envoy to Sudan for two years? What will change when Dane Smith takes on the same impotent Obama policy regarding genocide in Sudan, including Darfur?


Click image to enlarge the letter

The first paragraph written by President Obama states:
"Thank you for your letter urging action to end the genocide in Darfur. I share your outrage over the hundreds of thousands of lives lost, and the suffering of millions more. It has gone on for far too long. Bringing relief to the battered region of Darur is a top priority for my administration. "

For sure, President Obama does not share MY outrage. His personally selected Special Envoy to Sudan has absolutely no support by the Darfuris. I risk little to say NOT ONE DARFURI APPROVES OF GENERAL SCOTT GRATION. And neither do I. He deserves no support from the Darfuri people. He has made statement after statement that could only alienate Darfuri people. And the new man, Dane Smith has the same President to satisfy, so I wonder what will be different?

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." Martin Luther King Jr.

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

U.N. accused of caving in to Khartoum over Darfur

Source: iwpr.net/kk/node/49799

Amid growing levels of malnutrition, illness and instability in Darfur displacement camps, United Nations aid and peacekeeping agencies are being accused of capitulating to pressure and interference from the Sudanese government and failing in their duty to protect civilians.

By: Simon Jennings, Katy Glassborow, Tajeldin Adam, Assadiq Mustafa Zakaria Musa (*)

Human rights and civil society activists are joining the region’s internally displaced people, IDPs, and Sudanese opposition politicians in calling on UN agencies not to duck their responsibilities in order to keep Khartoum on side.

This comes as conditions in IDP camps deteriorate, with the government delaying food and medical supplies and many children often too hungry to go to school. One Sudanese opposition politician interviewed for this report claimed that some of the weakest camp inhabitants have started to die because of the shortages.

“International humanitarian capacities have been seriously eroded and impaired to a point that leaves Darfuris in a more vulnerable position now than at any other time since the counter-insurgency operations and forced displacements in 2003,” reads a recent paper, Navigating Without a Compass: The Erosion of Humanitarianism in Darfur, published by Tufts University in the United States.

Since 2003 when fighting between the government and rebel groups began in earnest in Darfur, millions of civilians have been forced to leave their villages – which were frequently razed to the ground – and have since lived in displacement camps or fled to eastern Chad.

They have relied heavily on international aid to survive, but according to research by IWPR and Radio Dabanga (an IWPR partner radio station based in Holland), the government – which sees IDP camps as strongholds of rebel support – has consistently worked to thwart the distribution of food, restrict access of relief workers and control the movements of peacekeepers.

In October last year, the head of the UN children’s agency UNICEF, Nils Kastberg, told Fi al Mizan, a radio programme made by IWPR and Radio Dabanga, that Khartoum is preventing his agency from releasing reports about malnutrition in IDP camps.

“Part of the problem has been when we conduct surveys to help us address issues, in collaboration with the ministry of health, very often other parts of the government such as the humanitarian affairs commission interferes and delays in the release of reports, making it difficult for us to respond [in a] timely [manner],” he said.

“We are raising these issues with the government at the moment that the humanitarian affairs commission should not interfere with the release of these reports.”

UNICEF reported early last year that as many as 21 nutritional surveys were conducted since June 2009, but only seven have been released by the humanitarian affairs commission. Six of those showed malnutrition rates of between 15 and 29 per cent, the report stated.

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court, ICC, say that restricting humanitarian aid is further evidence of a continued genocidal campaign against the people of Darfur by the Khartoum government.

But of the UN agencies engaged in Darfur, only UNICEF and the peacekeeping operation in Darfur, UNAMID, have talked publically about government interference.

Other UN agencies approached by IWPR have declined to speak about the problem, saying this could jeopardise their entire aid operations and lead to them being thrown out of the country. Sudanese opposition politicians say that by failing to speak out, UN agencies are in effect collaborating with the government.

The Sudanese government, meanwhile, insists that it is meeting its obligation to look after IDPs in Darfur.

“I don’t think the government will try in any way not to fulfil its commitments or not to perform its responsibility as regards the humanitarian access,” Mohammed Eltom, from the Sudanese embassy in London, told IWPR.

Read the full article at ~iwpr.net/kk/node/49799


"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
Martin Luther King Jr. - I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World, Special 75th Anniversary Edition

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

While much effort has gone into ensuring that the Southern Sudan referendum went ahead on time, the escalating tensions in the contested border region of Abyei serve as an important reminder of the significant challenges that still remain to a successful transition to long-term peace in Sudan.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) has special provisions for the ‘Three Areas’: Blue Nile, Southern Kordofan (including the Nuba Mountains) and Abyei. Abyei is a transition zone between North and South and has traditionally been an area of cattle owning groups: the Dinka (from the south), and the Missiriyya (from the North). In the negotiations leading up to the CPA, Abyei was always a sticking point and has since continued to be a contested region. Abyei holds a vast amount of Sudan’s oil. However, the pipelines and refineries, essential for the extraction of the oil, are situated in the North.

Abyei, as the rest of the Three Areas, was supposed to be the litmus test for a united Sudan and for the wealth- and power-sharing arrangements set out by the CPA. The agreement should have identified mechanisms to share the wealth between the North and the South long term but the Abyei Protocol did not tackle any of the disputed issues and was only ever meant as a resolution for the interim period following the signing of the CPA in 2005. The Abyei referendum, on whether Abyei should remain in Southern Kordofan State in Northern Sudan or join Bahr el-Ghazal State in Southern Sudan, was to take place at the same time as the Southern Sudan vote. However, the vote has been delayed and no future date has been set. The borders have also yet to be demarcated.

At this timely event, as the results of the South Sudan referendum begin to emerge, senior NCP and SPLM commentators from Abyei discuss the future of the region.

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

US envoy reiterates support to Sudan’s strategy for Darfur

Source: Sudan Tribune

January 13, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — US Special Envoy for Sudan Scott Gration renewed his support to Sudanese government strategy to end Darfur conflict and announced that his country would work jointly with Khartoum to implement it.

Flanked by his aide for Darfur conflict Dane Smith, Gration ended Thursday a two-day visit to the restive region where he met with North Darfur deputy governor Idriss Abdalla Hassan and the head of UNAMID Ibrahim Gambari. He also paid a visit to IDPs camps in Deribat, Khor Abeche and Shangili Tobayai.

The Sudanese government plan aims to domesticate efforts to resolve Darfur conflict though promoting dialogue among local actors from states governments, tribal leaders, civil society and IDPs. It also plans to establish security and support the return of displaced persons besides recovery and development projects there.

In a meeting with deputy governor, Gration praised the Darfur peace strategy prepared by the government to address the eight year conflict. He further said his government has appointed Dane Smith to lead an American team to support these efforts.

"We know that those are your priorities, but we will work together and synergize our efforts to reach a sustainable peace in Darfur conducive to the return of displaced persons and refugees to their homes."

The government’s strategy is founded on the conviction that the rebel groups have become an obstacle to end the conflict. Ghazi Saleh Al-Deen, presidential adviser tasked with the file, considers also that the rebels distorted the origins of the conflict which had been disputes over pastures and land between cattle herders and farmers.

Gration announced his support to the government’s plan since last August after a meeting with Ghazi besides Thabo Mbeki of the African Union panel and Gambari who is supposed to represent the United Nation.

The US envoy however emphasized the need to establish a ceasefire commission supervised by the UNAMID, comprising representatives from the government and all the rebel groups including Minni Minnawi, LJM, JEM and SLM-AW.

GOS-JEM CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES

The head of the Sudanese government negotiating team met today with the Qatari state minister for foreign affairs to discuss the proposal submitted by the mediation to the government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM).

Amin Hassan Omer also discussed with Minister Ahmed bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud a cessation of hostilities draft agreement submitted by the mediation to the government and the Justice and Equality Movement.

Last December, Gration during a visit to Doha contributed to convince JEM rebels to commence talks on cessation of hostilities before to resume peace talks.

Sudanese government withdrew its delegation from Doha last month saying talks can be conducted through exchange of visits and correspondence.

The Joint Chief Mediator Djibril Bassole is expected in Khartoum on Saturday for talks with Sudanese officials on the peace process.

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Martin Luther King Jr.

Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Friday, January 7, 2011

US SENATOR OBAMA CARED ABOUT DARFUR ~ PRESIDENT OBAMA NEGLECTS DARFURIS



..........................................................

..........................................................
A speech from the 2006 Rally for Darfur in Washington, D.C.

Million-Voices-Rally-Washington-D-C ~ Barack Obama, Elie Wiesel, Nancy Pelosi, George Clooney and others speak at the Rally for Darfur April 30, 2006 There is no embed for the video, only the link to the video. It is worth listening to. Hear Senator Obama take a stand that he hasn't taken since being President.

Amnesty calls on
Sudan to tackle human rights abuses ahead of referendum

Source: Sudan Tribune

January 7, 2011 (NAIROBI) – Sudan must refrain from ramping up military attacks in Darfur and guard against human rights violations during and after the referendum on south Sudan’s independence, which is due to begin on Sunday, Amnesty International has demanded.

The vote on south Sudan independence is the final stipulation of the 2005’s peace deal that ended nearly two decades of civil war between north and south Sudan. South Sudan is largely expected to opt for secession.

The global human rights watchdog on Friday accused the Sudanese government of taking advantage of the fact that the world’s attention has shifted to south Sudan referendum to step up military operations in Darfur region.

According to Amnesty, more than 20,000 people were displaced in December last year by a spate of largely unreported attacks by government forces in several areas in Darfur region, including Dar Al Salam, Shangil Tobaya and Khor Abeche camps in north and south Darfur.

The conflict in Sudan’s western region of Darfur rumbles on despite numerous international efforts to broker a peace agreement between the Sudanese government and increasingly factionalized rebel groups.

In a media briefing received by Sudan Tribune on Friday, Amnesty said that the International Community had turned a blind eye on these attacks as its attention shifts towards south Sudan referendum.

Separately, Amnesty said that members of Sudan’s National Security and Intelligence Services are still abusing their massive powers, noting the arrest last November of 11 Darfuri activists who are still held in detention without charges or trial.

Amnesty further warned that the persecution of ethnic monitories in the north may increase during and after the referendum. It also noted that women in north Sudan still face “cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment” under the Public Order Law which sanctions flogging and arrest of women on the basis of their clothing and public behavior.

On the north-south issue, Amnesty warned against the implosive nature of the citizenship issue, saying that failure to reach an agreement on the issue of citizenship could lead to “mass displacements, various human rights violations and the separation of families in both the north and south.”

North and south Sudan remain deadlocked over a host of post referendum arrangements, most notably is the issue of citizenship and the status of the contested oil-producing area of Abyei.

Amnesty called on the north and the south to allow people to choose which citizenship they wish to obtain, noting that the conditions for obtaining citizenship must not discriminate on the basis of birth, ethnic origin, religion, gender, marital status or similar other factors.

The organization also called on the authorities in the north and the south to tackle human rights violations effectively during the referendum and to instruct law-enforcement bodies to protect people from intimidation and harassment as a result of their choices in the referendum.


❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

"...Gration said last month that one crucial effort was to determine the future status of Abyei, a disputed, oil-rich region that will not be voting next week because of disagreements over voter eligibility and logistical delays. If the country splits, the north and the south could both claim ownership of Abyei, turning the region into a potential flashpoint for renewed conflict.

"We are working with both sides to calm the rhetoric and put a plan in place that will give both sides reassurances," Gration said about the Abyei situation. "This is probably not a situation where either side will be happy. We're looking for a solution that leaves both sides angry but neither side mad."


❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

Source: www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/southern-sudan-government-orders-darfur-rebels-out-of-juba-prior-to-referendum-2011010566279.html

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

Sudan’s FM warns of war with Juba over Darfur rebels

December 28, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan foreign minister Ali Karti warned today that South Sudan support to Darfur rebel groups will lead to war with the new country.

If the South Sudan government wants to start its new era with a war that will be the case if it harbors Darfur movements, said the Sudanese official in a press briefing in Khartoum with the visiting Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

“We want the South to have a healthy start, safe and stable and we do not want it to be a party to what is going on between the government and the Darfur movements,” Karti further said.


The minister pointed out to government allegations that the southern Sudan ruling SPLM harbors Darfur rebels groups and supports them with logistics and weapons. Since last November, Sudanese warplanes also bombed different areas in southern Sudan saying they hit Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) fighters.

Minni Minnawi, the sole signatory of Darfur Peace Agreement and former Senior Presidential Assistant is now based in Juba. His forces clashed with the Sudanese army recently in different areas in Darfur and he is considered as “legitimate target” by Khartoum.

The government says JEM rebels are now trained by the southern Sudan army SPLA and Ugandan army, but the rebels and Juba denied the allegations.

Southern Sudanese are expected to vote for secession in a referendum on self-determination scheduled to be held on 9 January. The ruling party in the semi-autonomous region called to vote for separation accusing the National Congress Party (NCP) of not making unity attractive.

Karti stressed that the self-determination right aims to realize peace and not war he also said that his government will respect the outcome of the vote.

Officials from the ruling NCP to begin by President Omer Al-Bashir repeated pledges today that Khartoum will respect the result of the referendum which is expected to be widely in favor of secession.

The visiting Amr Moussa said the Arab League said there was no indication that north and south would return to war.

“I don’t see any indication that the parties have the willingness to go back to war,” Moussa said, adding “What is going on between them is far away from war. There is a political good will.”

The Arab League chief who will dispatch some 87 observers to monitor the referendum said the regional organization will “respect the result of the referendum and what the voters decide,” he said.


Related posts ~
  1. Sudan’s FM warns of war with Juba over Darfur rebels
  2. Sudan’s spy chief demands Juba to arrest Darfur rebels in Southern Sudan
  3. South Sudan army denies supporting Darfur rebels
  4. Khartoum’s army bomb South Sudan, targeting Darfur rebels
  5. JEM rebels deny accusations of being supported by South Sudan




❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

our humanity in the balance


Labels: , , , , , , ,

Friday, May 28, 2010

IF THERE AREN'T ENOUGH PEOPLE STANDING UP AND SAYING GENOCIDE WILL STOP WITH US - GENOCIDE WILL GO ON - AND SO IT DOES

...............................................

...............................................

Torture Video from Darfur

Uploaded by SalemNews

SalemNews May 26, 2010This video smuggled out of Umsauna, South Darfur, shows government soldiers (Government of Sudan) beating and torturing innocent civilians, asking them where JEM leaders are located.

After two days of a deadly battle, fighters from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) managed to claim Umsauna back from the GOS, 5 days ago - the town is now in their full control.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

May-25-2010

Shocking Torture Video from Darfur



(UMSAUNA, South Darfur / PORTLAND, Oregon)

This video smuggled out of Umsauna, South Darfur, shows government soldiers (GoS) beating and torturing innocent civilians, asking them where JEM leaders are located.

After two days of a deadly battle, fighters from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) managed to claim Umsauna back from the GOS, 5 days ago - the town is now in their full control.

On-ground sources confirmed earlier today, that the GOS 106th infantry battalion lined more than 87 vehicles and are ready roll into Umsauna tonight.

Darfur has seen a massive increase in violence.

Radio Dabanga has reported several arrests of citizens in Nyala on suspicion of belonging to rebel parties specifically JEM.

The targeted violence has many innocent families fleeing into neighboring displaced/refugee camps. These camps are already suffering extreme shortages of water and food.

A leader of the displaced people in Kalma camp in South Darfur revealed that 480 families had fled to the camp in the wake of fighting between government forces and the Justice and Equality Movement in areas of Sharq Jebel Marra, Shangil Tobayi and parts of south the railway.

The camp leader, Hussein Abu Alsharati, said that these families are living in extremely difficult conditions. He said that no one has offered to help them.

480 more families flee to Darfur's huge Kalma camp - Radio Dabanga

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My letter to President Obama tonight via
www.whitehouse.gov/contact/organizations

You can send your message: www.whitehouse.gov/contact

May 27, 2010


Dear President Obama,


I write to you about two important issues to me personally and globally.


The oil disaster should NOT be in the hands of BP. It is unbelievable that the government did not take this problem-solving away from BP and simply make them accountable in every way, financially, legally and criminally. As much as I supported you, Mr. Obama, for President, I am that disappointed in your handling of this crisis that has been going on for five weeks.


BP and lack of proper oversight by our government agencies allowed the present disaster in the gulf and yet you have let BP be in charge of the unending oil gushing into our planet’s waters. Rep. Charlie Melancon said more how he cared today, than this administration has demonstrated since the crisis in the gulf began.


And I am also thoroughly disappointed in your lack of interest in the Darfuris situation.


Special Envoy Gration is a disaster for the Darfuri people. And yet he remains the Special Envoy. The Sudan elections were a sham and yet your administration treats them like they are just.


It is difficult to remain calm with the inaction of our representative government on both of these issues. As a human rights activist, specifically regarding genocide prevention and intervention, and even more specifically, regarding Darfur and Sudan, I am thoroughly disgusted with this administration’s lack of engagement in the Darfuris’ plight.


The attending of al-Bashir’s May 27 inauguration by Haile Menkerios of South Africa, head of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), and Ibrahim Gambari of Nigeria, joint head of the African Union/UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) is inappropriate. Your silence is irrefutably wrong. And our USA acceptance of this election is obvious by how Gration speaks and behaves. It just makes me sick in my heart to watch our government continue the impotent handling of what goes on regarding the Darfuri people.


This video (link included) smuggled out of Umsauna, South Darfur, shows government soldiers (Government of Sudan) beating and torturing innocent civilians this week, asking them where JEM leaders are located. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zybNoI27nJI The article about this story from Salem-New.com http://www.salem-news.com/articles/may252010/darfur-video-aa.php


With all due respect, I would like to see you be the leader that I was led to believe you would be.


Sincerely yours,

Sandra Hammel

Use Your Voice To Stop Genocide RI


To show I am human and not spam my required words to type were: "the suffered".


You can also call or write to the President:

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Please include your e-mail address

Phone Numbers

Comments: 202-456-1111


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darfur In the News

AFP: Sudan shuts door on more peace talks with Darfur rebel group. Sudan has closed the door on peace talks with Darfur's main rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), a top negotiator said Wednesday, warning that instead its leaders will be prosecuted. Presidential adviser Ghazi Atabani told reporters that the mediators in the peace talks between JEM and the Khartoum government -- Qatar, the United Nations and the African Union -- had been notified of Khartoum's decision. JEM, one of two key Darfur rebel groups, signed a framework accord in February in Doha that was hailed by the international community as a major step toward bringing peace to the region devastated by a seven-year war. But there was no final, comprehensive peace agreement by a March 15 deadline and JEM broke off from the talks that same month claiming ceasefire violations and resumed attacking government forces.

BBC: Sudan's Omar al-Bashir is sworn in as president. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been sworn into office again, following his controversial win in last month's elections. President Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Darfur. Many international leaders stayed away from the inauguration but at least five African presidents attended the event. The UN said it was sending the heads of the two UN peacekeeping missions in the country to the ceremony. Presidents from Ethiopia, Chad, Malawi, Mauritania, and Djibouti were in the audience.

Citizen-Times: 2 Samaritan's Purse workers released, 1 still held in Sudan. Samaritan's Purse reports that two of three aid workers abducted in Sudan have been released. Here's the report posted on the Samaritan's Purse website Tuesday: Two Sudanese Samaritan's Purse workers abducted in the Darfur region last week have been released. A third staff member is still being held. Please continue to pray for continued safety and a quick release.

NPR: In Parts Of Sudan, Life Hasn't Changed In Centuries. In Sudan, voters are expected to return to the polls in January, when the South takes up a referendum on full independence from the North. But as the people of southern Sudan prepare to decide their future, it's necessary to acknowledge their present. For while some Southerners live in the 21st century, others are still in the 19th -- or in some cases, a biblical age.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Statement from Darfuris in Diaspora, North America

Regarding the latest events in Darfur

May 26, 2010

We, the undersigned Darfuris in Diaspora in North America, would like to express our gravest concern regarding the suffering of our people back home in Darfur. There are numerous indicators that lead us to believe that the international community is no longer diligently seeking a just political solution to the conflict in Darfur.

Today we see the representatives of the institutions of the international community respond to the demands of the regime in Khartoum while Darfuris bleed to death in Darfur. Over a year after General Martin Agwai, the ex- head of UNAMID, said that war in Darfur is over, the Government of Khartoum continues more fierce campaigns of aerial bombings targeting civilians and water wells. Today, following elections described by the U.S. State Department as neither free nor fair, we see delegations from the United Nations, African Union, and Arab League turn a blind eye to the killings in Darfur that were inflicted recently by the Khartoum regime while they flock to Khartoum to celebrate the inauguration of the killer as president of Sudan.

We would like to summarize here in three points the danger of such indifference by the leading players of the international community:

1) The United Nations announced that it will send the two highest ranking of its officials in Sudan to represent at AlBashir’s inaugural ceremonies in Khartoum on the 27th of May. The two top U.N. officials, Haile Menkerios, head of the U.N. Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), and Ibrahim Gambari, joint head of the African Union/U.N. Mission in Darfur (UNAMID, will celebrate with the killer in Khartoum while the blood of our relatives is spilled in Jebel Marrah and Jebel Moon. We, the sons and daughters of those whose blood is spilled there in Darfur, believe that the soft policy of the American Administration towards Sudan sent the wrong signal to the United Nation, African Union, Arab League, and other international bodies.

2) We believe that the first criterion of the international mediators in the Darfur conflict is to be honest brokers. The world witnessed and followed last week the unfolding events of the 19 hours standoff at the N’djamena’s airport in Chad. The leader of the Justice and Equality Movement, Dr. Khalil Ibrahim, was denied entry to the country, yet what was learned later was that the international mediators were pulling strings from Doha, capital of Qatar, to force the head of JEM to sit down for negotiation with the Government of Sudan. The government of Sudan has a great interest in signing meaningless agreements with Darfuri factions. We believe that the mediators are serving, knowingly or not, as tools to the Government of Sudan to suppress the Darfuri cause. In the last seven years we have seen the international mediators press the Darfuri factions to compromise and give up in return for nothing except seeing the suffering of their own people prolonged. Instead, the international mediators should be exerting pressure on the government of Sudan, the root cause of the problem in Darfur. The N’djamena standoff was part of a tactic to force all Darfuri leaders into capitulation. We condemn such acts of those mediators who, through such acts will only make matters worse in Darfur.

3) Albashir is an indicted war criminal. In the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on May 12th, U.S. Special Envoy Gration testified that the Obama Administration is pursuing "locally owned accountability and reconciliation mechanisms in light of the recommendations made by the African Union's high-level panel on Darfur." In Darfur we have millions of our people who have lost everything, including loved ones, to the genocide. The victims hope for nothing in this life but justice. Darfuris have no trust left in Gration since he uttered the words “remnants of genocide” in his early days on the job. Now we believe that this AU panel on Darfur is nothing more than an effort to let AlBashir off the hook. We will not, as Darfuris, accept any substitute to the ICC as a venue for justice for Darfur crimes.

CC to:

- Honorable Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton.

- Honorable U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration.

- Honorable U.N. General Secretary Ban Ki-moon.

- Honorable The joint AU-UN mediator Djibril Bassolé.

- Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court.


Signed by:

No Name State ةيلاولا
مسلإا

1 Mohamed E. Suliman CA أُرىفٌاو
ْاٍُّط خذافٌا ذّذِ

2 Mohamed Altom CA أُرىفٌاو
َىرٌا ذّذِ

3 Maki Ibrahim Maki TX صاظىذ
ٍىِ ُُهازتإ ٍىِ

4 Abdulrahim Khamis TX صاظىذ
ضُّخ ُُدزٌاذثع

5 Kamaldine Moustapha IN أاَذٔإ
ًفطصِ َٓذٌا ياّو

6 Tragi Mustafa Abutalib Canada اذٕو
ةٌاطىتأ ًفطصِ ٍجازذ

7 Ismail Omar Ibrahim TX صاظىذ
ُُهازتإ زّع ًُعاّطإ

8 Dr. Mohamed Hassan NE اىطازثٔ
د
.
ٓظد ذّذِ

9 Bakri Gumaa NJ ٍظَزجىُٔ
حعّج يزىت

10 Aljazoli Sharif Haroun NY نرىَىُٔ
ْوراه فَزش ٌٍوشجٌا

11 Yahia Haroun TX صاظىذ
ْوراه ٍذَ

12 Basamat Ahmed Yahia GA اُجرىج
خاّظت
ذّدأ

13 Abdulgabar Sidig TX صاظىذ
كَذص راثجٌا ذثع

14 Bakhit Shata NE اىطازثٔ
حطش دُخت

15 Dr. Adam Omar Ismail NE اىطازثٔ
د
.
زّع َدأ

16 Eizaldin Mohamed Yahia TX صاظىذ
ٍذَ ذّذِ َٓذٌا شع

17 Adam Abdallah AZ أوشَرأ
اللهذثع َدآ

18 Mohamed Adam Ali CO ودارىٍو
ًٍع َدآ ذّذِ

19 Abdulrahman Shata NE اىطازثٔ
حطش ّٓدزٌاذثع

20 Alnaim Adam TX صاظىذ
َدآ ُُعٌٕا

21 Mohamed Adam Sharaf AZ أوشَرأ
فزش ذّذِ

22 Abubaker Atim TX صاظىذ
ُُذأ زىتىتأ

23 Gedo Hassan AZ أوشَرأ
ٓظد وذج

24 Dulalbait Hassan AZ أوشَرأ
ًطىِ دُثٌا ىض

25 Nusaiba Abass TX صاظىذ
صاثع حثُظٔ

26 Douri Hamid Wadi TN ٍظٕذ
ٌداو ذِاد ٌرود

27 Mahialdin Abakar Suliman PA أُافٍظٕت
ْاٍُّط زىتأ َٓذٌا ٍذِ

28 Alrayah Hamid Wadi TN ٍظٕذ
ٌداو ذِاد خَزٌا

29 Ahmed Omar Tuls TX صاظىذ
ضٍذ زّع ذّدأ

30 Adam Idriss TX صاظىذ
ضَردإ َدأ

31 Khalid Handhel TX صاظىذ
ًظٕد ذٌاخ

32 Mohamed babiker TX صاظىذ
زىتات ذّذِ

33 Adam Babiker AZ أوشَرأ
زىتات َدأ

34 Babiker Babiker TX صاظىذ
زىتات زىتات

35 Khalil Mohamed TX صاظىذ
ذّذِ ًٍُخ

36 Abdulrazig Ibrahim TX صاظىذ
ُُهازتإ قاسزٌاذثع

37 Ibrahim Abdulrahman TX صاظىذ
ّٓدزٌاذثع ُُهازتإ

38 Alsadig Gerbreel TX صاظىذ
ًَزثج قداصٌا

39 Eng. Ibrahim Abdulrahman TX صاظىذ
صذٕهٌّا
\

ّٓذٌاذثع ُُهازتإ

40 Abdulgader Adam TX صاظىذ
َدآ راثجٌاذثع

41 Ahmed Omar Khatir TX صاظىذ
زطاخ زّع ذّدأ

42 Hamid Husain Hajar GA اُجرىج
زجد ُٓظد ذِاد

43 Ibrahim Shata NE اىطازثٔ
حطش ُُهازتإ

44 Abdulaziz Babiker TX صاظىذ
زىتات شَشعٌاذثع

45 Ahmed Yahia Abdallah GA اُجرىج
اللهذثع ٍذَ ذّدأ

46 Hawa Ahmed GA اُجرىج
ذّدأ ءاىد

47 Sidig Abdahalla Abdulkarim TX صاظىذ
َُزىٌاذثع اللهذثع كَذص

48 Abubaker Saleh TX صاظىذ
خٌاص زىتىتأ

49 Suliman Abdulrahim TX صاظىذ
ُُدزٌاذثع ْاٍُّط

50 Ibrahim Shogar TX صاظىذ
رالىش ُُهازتإ

51 Sidig Idriss TX صاظىذ
ضَردإ كَذص

52 Abdallah Mohamed TX صاظىذ
ذّذِ اللهذثع

53 Ahmed Ishag TX صاظىذ
كذطإ ذّدأ

54 Mousa Thour TX صاظىذ
رىث ًطىِ

55 Bashir Gamous TX صاظىذ
صىِاج زُشت

56 Hussain Ibrahim TX صاظىذ
ُُهازتإ ُٓظد

57 Omar Bursham TX صاظىذ
ُشزت زّع

58 Ahmed Mohamed Abdelkarim TX صاظىذ
َُزىٌاذثع ذّذِ ذّدأ

59 Omar Mohamed TX صاظىذ
ذّذِ زّع

60 Adam Abdallah MI ْاجشرُِ
اللهذثع َدآ

61 Abdallah Osman TX صاظىذ
ْاّثع اللهذثع

62 Adam Mohamed Osman TX صاظىذ
ْاّثع ذّذِ َدأ

63 Mohamed Abdallah Haroun TX صاظىذ
ْوراه اللهذثع ذّذِ

64 Adam Hassan Tubaz TX صاظىذ
ساتىذ ٓظد ذّدأ

65 Ahmed Mohamed Arbab TX صاظىذ
باترأ ذّذِ ذّدأ

66 Gumaa Abdahlla TX صاظىذ
اللهذثع حعّج

67 Bushara Ishag TX صاظىذ
كذطإ جراشت

68 Alzubair Altahir TX صاظىذ
زهاطٌا زُتشٌا

69 Khalil Bahar TX صاظىذ
زذت ًٍُخ

70 Ahmed Alshaik TX صاظىذ
ذّدأ
خُشٌا

71 Faisal Ishag TX صاظىذ
كذطإ ًصُف

72 Ridwan Idriss Issa TX صاظىذ
ًظُع ضَردإ ْاىضر

73 Suad Idriss Issa TX صاظىذ
ًظُع ضَردإ داعط

74 Yasir Mohamed TX صاظىذ
ذّذِ زطاَ

75 Soubhi Abdulatif TX صاظىذ
فُطٌٍاذثع ٍذثص

76 Alsadig Mohamed Hassan TX صاظىذ
ٓظد ذّذِ قداصٌا

77 Mohamed Osman TX صاظىذ
ْاّثع ذّذِ

78 Esam Eldin Omar NY نرىَىُٔ
زّع َٓذٌا َاصع

79 Alamaldin Adam NY نرىَىُٔ
َدآ َٓذٌا ٍُع

80 Abdalla Ali NY نرىَىُٔ
ٍٍع اللهذثع

81 Suliman Awadalla TX صاظىذ
الله ضىع ْاٍُّط

82 Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Tirab NH زُشِاهىُٔ
د
.
بازُذ ذّدأ ذّذِ

83 Adeeb Yousif CA اذٕو
فطىَ ةَدأ

84 Mubarak Ishag TX صاظىذ
كذطإ نراثِ

85 Abdulrahman Ahmed TX صاظىذ
ذّدأ ّٓدزٌاذثع

86 Abdulhalim Adam Abdulkarim OH ىَاهوأ
َُزىٌاذثع َدآ ٍُُذٌاذثع

87 Sidig Younis OH ىَاهوأ
كَذص
ضٔىَ

88 Omaima Abdulla NE اىطازثٔ
اللهذثع حُِّأ

89 Abdulbagi Ismail NE اىطازثٔ
ًُعاّطإ ٍلاثٌاذثع

90 Abdullah Ismail NE اىطازثٔ
ًُعاّطإ اللهذثع

91 Abdulrazig Sabeel Abdalla NE اىطازثٔ
اللهذثع ًُثط قسازٌاذثع

92 Adam Sabeel Abdalla NE اىطازثٔ
اللهذثع ًُثط َدآ

93 Ibrahim Abdalla UT اذىَ
اللهذثع ُُهازتإ

94 Mansour Ishag TN ٍظٕذ
كذطإ رىصِٕ

95 Mohamed Abakar UT اذىَ
زىتأ ذّذِ

96 Hanan Atim NE اىطازثٔ
ُُذأ ْإد

97 Gamal Adam NE اىطازثٔ
َدآ ياّج

98 Aldouma Abdalla NE اىطازثٔ
اللهذثع حِوذٌا

99 Hassanain Suliman NE اىطازثٔ
ْاٍُّط ُٕٓظد ذّذِ

100 Issa Ziada NE اىطازثٔ
جداَس ًظُع

101 Abass Khamis NE اىطازثٔ
ضُّخ صاثع

102 Ibrahim Adam NE اىطازثٔ
َدآ ُُهازتإ

103 Abdalla Khamis UT اذىَ
ضُّخ اللهذثع

104 Suliman Hassan UT اذىَ
ٓظد ْاٍُّط

105 Abubaker Hassan Adam GA اُجرىج
َدآ ٓظد زىتىتأ

106 Salah Norain AZ أوشَرأ
َٓرىٔ حلاص

107 Abdulmunim Adam GA اُجرىج
َدآ ُعٌّٕاذثع

108 Adam Khatir UT اذىَ
زطاخ َدآ

109 Sultan Mohamed Haroun TX صاظىذ
ْوراه ذّذِ ْاطٍظٌا

110 Ahmed Mohamed Mousa TX صاظىذ
ًطىِ ذّذِ ذّدأ

111 Abass Gumaa TX صاظىذ
حعّج صاثع

112 Mohamed Abdulrahman TX صاظىذ
ّٓدزٌاذثع ذّذِ

113 Yagoub Adam NE اىطازثٔ
َدآ بىمعَ

114 Arbab Abdulrasoul NE اىطازثٔ
يىطزٌاذثع باترأ

115 Babiker Abdulrasoul NE اىطازثٔ
يىطزٌاذثع زىتات

116 Babiker Abakar Mousa GA اُجرىج
ًطىِ زىتأ زىتات

117 Ibrahim Adam NE اىطازثٔ
َدآ ُُهازتإ

118 Mousa Adam NE اىطازثٔ
َدآ ًطىِ

119 Zainab Abouh NE اىطازثٔ
ٖىتأ ةَٕس

120 Ahmed Mohamed NE اىطازثٔ
ذّذِ ذّدأ

121 Aydah Adam NE اىطازثٔ
َدآ ًذَ

122 Zainab Khamis NE اىطازثٔ
ضُّخ ةَٕس

123 Nasurldin Khamis NE اىطازثٔ
ضُّخ َٓذٌا زصٔ

124 Faisal Ali Abakar NY نرىَىُٔ
زىتأ ًٍع ًصُف

125 Altaib Ibrahim CA اذٕو
ُُهازتإ ةُطٌا

126 Ibrahim Abdalla UT اذىَ
اللهذثع ُُهازتإ

127 Adam Suliman GA اُجرىج
ْاٍُّط َدآ

128 Osman Dawood GA اُجرىج
دوؤاد ْاّثع

129 Ahmed Abakar UT اذىَ
زىتأ ذّدأ

130 Hamid Alrayah MI ْاجشرُِ
خَزٌا ذِاد

131 Abubaker Adam Altahir Alaska اىظٌأ
زهاطٌا َدآ زىتىتأ

132 Abdulkarim Mohamed TX صاظىذ
ذّذِ َُزىٌاذثع

133 Dr. Suliman Ismail NY نرىَىُٔ
د
.
ًُعاّطإ ْاٍُّط

134 Alsadig Gumaa Canada اذٕو
حعّج قداصٌا

135 Dr. Abdulgabar Adam PA أُافٍظٕت
د
.
َدآ راثجٌاذثع

136 Garalnabi Abass Absakeen PA أُافٍظٕت
ُٓىطىتأ صاثع ٍثٌٕا راج

137 Niemat Ahmadi DC
ٌد ٓطٕشاو
ٍط
ٌاذّدأ خاّعٔ

138 Mohamed Idriss Khamis NC
زرىٔ
إٌُوراو
ضُّخ ضَردإ ذّذِ

139 Abdulatif Omar Malik NY نرىَىُٔ
هٌاِ زّع فُطٌٍاذثع

140 Ahmed Ali Harry NY نرىَىُٔ
ٌزه ًٍع ذّدأ

141 Mohamed Adam Yahia VA إُُجزُف
ٍذَ َدآ ذّذِ

142 Gumaa Harry NY نرىَىُٔ
ٌزه حعّج

143 Ismail Jali MD ذٔلاَزُِ
ًُعاّطإ

ٌٍاج

144 Fakheraldin Altijani Ali NY نرىَىُٔ
ٍٍع ٍٔاجُرٌا َٓذٌا زخف

145 Mustafa Haroun NY نرىَىُٔ
ْوراه ًفطصِ

146 Mohamed Haroun NY نرىَىُٔ
ْوراه ذّذِ

147 Abdalla Ashor IA اىَإ
رىشاع اللهذثع

148 Alsadig Ashor IA اىَأ
رىشاع قداصٌا

149 Bakri Abdalla Canada اذٕو
اللهذثع ٌزىت

150 Adam Hassan AZ أوشَرأ
ٓظد َدآ

151 Suliman Abdalla Hassan UT اذىَ
ٓظد اللهذثع ْاٍُّط

152 Salah Eldin Zakaria Arbab ME ُِٓ
باترأ اَزوس َٓذٌا حلاص

153 Alfadil Zakaria ME ُِٓ
اَزوس ًضافٌا

154 Najumldeen Zakaria ME ُِٓ
اَزوس َٓذٌا ُجٔ

155 Elyas Zakaria ME ُِٓ
اَزوس صاٌُإ

156 Abdulsalam Hassan ME ُِٓ
ٓظد َلاظٌا ذثع

157 Babiker Boush ME ُِٓ
عىت زىتات

158 Ali Mudeer ME ُِٓ
زَذِ ًٍع

159 Salah Dahia SC
زواط
إٌُوراو
حُذض خٌاص

160 Kaltom Khamis NE اىطازثٔ
ضُّخ َىرٍو

161 Salma Ahmed TX صاظىذ
ذّدأ ٍٍّط

162 Abdalla Khamis UT اذىَ
ضُّخ اللهذثع

163 Salahaldin Abdalla MI ْاجشرُِ
اللهذثع َٓذٌا حلاص

164 Ahmed Mohamed TX صاظىذ
ذّذِ ذّدأ

165 Thourya Adam Issa IN أاَذٔإ
ًظُع َدآ اَزث

166 Fatima Haroun PA أُافٍظٕت
ْوراه حّطاف

167 Abdulrahman Fadoul TX صاظىذ
ًضف ّٓدزٌاذثع

168 Muntasir Nasir GA اُجرىج
زصأ زصرِٕ

169 Abdalla Mousa VA إُُجزُف
ًطىِ اللهذثع

170 Idriss Abdulrasoul Alaska اىظٌأ
يىطزٌاذثع ضَردإ

171 Dr. Adam Mohamed Ahmed VA إُُجزُف
د
.
ذّدأ ذّذِ َدآ

172 Dawood Saleh NJ ٍظَزجىُٔ
خٌاص دوؤاد

173 Dr. Ismail Abdalla MD ذٔلاَزُِ
د
.
اللهذثع ًُعاّطإ

174 Ibrahim Idam AZ أوشَرأ
َدآ ُُهازتإ

175 Mohamed Tajaldin NE اىطازثٔ
ذّذِ

َٓذٌا جاذ

176 Abubaker Ahmed Abakar NE اىطازثٔ
زىتأ ذّدأ زىتات

177 Mujahid Adam CA أُرىفٌاو
َدآ ذهاجِ

178 Shakir Abdolrasoul KY ٍوارٕو
يىطزٌاذثع زواش

179 Awadia Nyam NY نرىَىُٔ
َأُ حُضىع

180 Amira Mohamed MN اذىظُِٕ
ذّذِ ج زُِأ

181 Hamza Adam NY نرىَىُٔ
َدآ جشّد

182 Ahmed Suliman NY نرىَىُٔ
ْاٍُّط ذّدأ

183 Ramadan KY ٍوارٕو
ٍوارٕو ْاضِر

Darfurain Associations State ةيلاولا
ةيروفرادلا طباورلا

1 Darfurain Associations in Dallas TX صاظىذ
صلاد حَٕذّت رىفراد ءإتأ حطتار

2 Darfurian Associations in Phonix AZ أوشَرأ
ضىُٕف حَٕذّت رىفراد ءإتأ حطتار

3 Darfurian Associations in Toscon AZ أوشَرأ
ْىطىط حَٕذّت رىفراد ءإتأ حطتار

4 Darfurian Associations in Fort Wayne IN أاَذٔإ

خرىف حَٕذّت رىفراد ءإتأ حطتار
َٓو

5 Darfurain Associations in New York NY نرىَىُٔ
حطتار
نرىَىُٕت رىفراد ءإتإ

6 Darfurian Associations in Salt Lake City UT اذىَ

هٌُ دٌىط حَٕذّت رىفراد ءإتأ حطتار
ٍرُط

7 Darfurian Association in Houston TX صاظىذ
ٓرطىُه حَٕذّت رىفراد ءإتأ حطتار

8 Darfurian Association inDenver CO ودارىٍو
زفَٕد حَٕذّت رىفراد ءإتأ حطتار

9 Darfurian Association in Atlanta GA اُجرىج
اطٍٕطأ حَٕذّت رىفراد ءإتأ حطتار

10 Darfurian Association in Omaha NE اىطازثٔ
اهاِوأ حَٕذّت رىفراد ءإتا حطتار

11 Darfurian Associaiton in Lincoln NE اىطازثٔ
ٌٓىىٌُٕ حَٕذّت رىفراد ءإتأ حطتار

12 Darfurian Association in Alaska AK اىظٌأ
رىفراد ءإتأ حطتار

13 Darfurian Association in SD SD اذىواد زواث
رىفراد ءإتأ حطتار

14 Darfurian Assciation in NC NC
زرىٔ
إٌُوراو
رىفراد ءإتأ حطتار

Organizations
تامظنملا

1
Western Darfur Aid relief
Organization. TX صلاد
-
حثاغلإاو حَاعزٌٍ ْادىظٌا بزغ حّظِٕ

صاظىذ

2 Darfur Self-reliance Education CA أُرىفٌُاو
ٍذاذٌا ٍُعرٌٍ رىفراد حّظِٕ

3 Damanga Organization DC
ٌد ٓطٕشاو
ٍط
امٕتد حّظِٕ

4
Darfurian organization for Human
rights PA اُفٌدلاف
-

أُافٍظٕت
ْاظٔلإا قىمذٌ رىفراد حّظِٕ

5 Care organization for Unity & Dev. GA
اطٍٕطأ
-

اُجرىج
حُّٕرٌاو جذدىٌٍ حَاعزٌا حّظِٕ

6 Darfur Progress Organization TX
صاظىذ
صلاد حَٕذّت رىفراد حضهٔ حّظِٕ

7 Mayram Dar organization MN اذىظِٕ
ضٌىتإُِ حَٕذّت راد َزُِ حّظِٕ

8 Federal Democratic Collation NY اىَزِأ ةرىِ
ٍطازمَّذٌا ٌٍارذُفٌا فٌاذرٌا

9 Sudan liberation Movement NY اىَزِأ ةرىِ
ْادىظٌا زَزذذ حوزد

10 Equality & Justices Movement NE اىَزِأ ةرىِ
جاواظٌّاو يذعٌا حوزد

Source: savedarfurma.org

.................................................

.................................................
Uploaded by ilovemylifesblog

Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

WOLF'S REPUBLICAN VOICE WELCOME REGARDING OBAMA'S FAILED POLICY ON DARFUR AND SUDAN

............................................


............................................

Uploaded by RepFrankWolf

As a community leader in my state of Rhode Island and Rhode Island leader with sudansham2010 and ionsudan.net - I am well aware of the lack of engagement and leadership by Obama regarding Sudan. I am a Democrat, worked to elect Obama and voted for him. However, below you can read what Virginian Republican US Representative Wolf did today. While reading it, I felt like some truth spoken allowed me to exhale. Congressman Wolf's letter to Obama today is well written and was a relief to read. When I read the last four words of the following statement about Obama's official Sudan policy, I was so grateful to see these words.

"More than six months have passed since the release of the strategy and implementation has been insufficient at best and altogether absent at worst."


I have written Obama letter after letter and said this type of thing repeatedly. Gration is a disaster as the US Special Envoy to Sudan, but Obama owns the responsibility of using Gration as a "placeholder" for him until he decides to put Sudan as a priority.

Obama needs to lead on this issue. His legacy is already beneath a low standard regarding Darfur and Sudan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About doing our part regarding Wolf's action today....from Katie-Jay Scott:

Great work Susan (Morgan) and thank you Sudan Sham leaders!

See the final press release from Congressman Wolf's office. I know it was a quick turnaround but more than 25 groups in 18 states were able to mobilize very quickly.

Please spread this press release:
savedarfurma.org

Double your efforts in pressuring Rice and Clinton by taking this action.

best, ktj


INFORMATION

The Sudan Sham Elections 2010 network is committing to sustained action for peace in Sudan. Our new phase in activism is i On Sudan. Please participate!

iOnSudan.net

i On Sudan connects on-the-ground reports of violence, abuses, and other events to advocacy in the United States and around the world to immediately mobilize leaders towards immediate response on behalf of innocent civilians and to promote peace, protection, and justice in all of Sudan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wolf: It's Time For A Change In Dealing With Sudan

Contact: Dan Scandling
(202) 225-5136

WOLF: IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE IN DEALING WITH SUDAN

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), long recognized in Congress for his work on Sudan, today called for a change in how the Obama Administration deals with Khartoum.

In a press conference on Capitol Hill, Wolf said it is time for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to re-take control of U.S. policy involving Sudan.

Wolf joins a growing number of groups calling for higher levels of engagement. Just last week, six respected NGOs ran ads in The Washington Post and Politico calling for Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Rice to exercise "personal and sustained leadership on Sudan" in the face of a "stalemated policy" and waning U.S. credibility as a mediator.

"There is a pressing and immediate need for renewed, principled leadership at the highest levels," Wolf said.

Wolf also made a series of other recommendations, including calling on the administration to not recognize the outcome of the recent presidential elections in Sudan and to move forward with its stated aim of strengthening the capacity of the security sector in the South. In addition, he said priority must be given to ending the attacks in Darfur and completing restoration of humanitarian aid in region.

Below is a copy of a letter Wolf sent President Obama urging a change in course in dealing with Khartum. A copy of Wolf’s statement at the press conference follows the letter.


May 5, 2010
The Honorable Barack H. Obama
The President
The White House
Washington DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

"If President Obama is ever going to find his voice on Sudan, it had better be soon." These were the closing words of New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof two weeks ago. I could not agree more with his assessment of Sudan today. Time is running short. Lives hang in the balance. Real leadership is needed.

Having first travelled to Sudan in 1989, my interest and involvement in this country has spanned the better part of 20 years. I’ve been there five times, most recently in July 2004 when Senator Sam Brownback and I were the first congressional delegation to go to Darfur.

Tragically, Darfur is hardly an anomaly. We saw the same scorched earth tactics from Khartoum in the brutal 20-year civil war with the South where more than 2 million perished, most of whom were civilians. In September 2001, President Bush appointed former Senator John Danforth as special envoy and his leadership was in fact instrumental in securing, after two and a half years of negotiations, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), thereby bringing about an end to the war. I was at the 2005 signing of this historic accord in Kenya, as was then Secretary of State Colin Powell and Congressman Donald Payne, among others. Hopes were high for a new Sudan. Sadly, what remains of that peace is in jeopardy today. What remains of that hope is quickly fading.

I was part of a bipartisan group in Congress who urged you to appoint a special envoy shortly after you came into office, in the hope of elevating the issue of Sudan. But what was once a successful model for Sudan policy is not having the desired effect today. I am not alone in this belief.

Just last week, six respected NGOs ran compelling ads in The Washington Post and Politico calling for Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Rice to exercise "personal and sustained leadership on Sudan" in the face of a "stalemated policy" and waning U.S. credibility as a mediator.

In that same vein, today I join that growing chorus of voices in urging you to empower Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Rice to take control of the languishing Sudan policy. They should oversee quarterly deputies’ meetings to ensure options for consequences are on the table.

There is a pressing and immediate need for renewed, principled leadership at the highest levels - leadership which, while recognizing the reality of the challenges facing Sudan, is clear-eyed about the history and the record of the internationally indicted war criminal at the helm in Khartoum. We must not forget who we are dealing with in Bashir and his National Congress Party (NCP). In addition to the massive human rights abuses perpetrated by the Sudanese government against its own people, Sudan remains on the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism. It is well known that the same people currently in control in Khartoum gave safe haven to Osama bin Laden in the early 1990’s.

I believe that this administration’s engagement with Sudan to date, under the leadership of General Gration, and with your apparent blessing, has failed to recognize the true nature of Bashir and the NCP. Any long-time Sudan follower will tell you that Bashir never keeps his promises.

The Washington Post editorial page echoed this sentiment this past weekend saying of Bashir: "He has frequently told Western governments what they wanted to hear, only to reverse himself when their attention drifted or it was time to deliver...the United States should refrain from prematurely recognizing Mr. Bashir's new claim to legitimacy. And it should be ready to respond when he breaks his word." Note that the word was "when" not "if" he breaks his word. While the hour is late, the administration can still chart a new course.

In addition to recommending that Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Rice take the helm in implementing your administration’s Sudan policy, I propose the following policy recommendations:

Move forward with the administration’s stated aim of strengthening the capacity of the security sector in the South. A good starting point would be to provide the air defense system that the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) requested and President Bush approved in 2008. This defensive capability would help neutralize Khartoum’s major tactical advantage and make peace and stability more likely following the referendum vote.

Do not recognize the outcome of the recent presidential elections. While the elections were a necessary part of the implementation of the CPA and an important step before the referendum, they were inherently flawed and Bashir is attempting to use them to lend an air of legitimacy to his genocidal rule.

Clearly and unequivocally state at the highest levels that the United States will honor the outcome of the referendum and will ensure its implementation.

Begin assisting the South in building support for the outcome of the referendum.

Appoint an ambassador or senior political appointee with the necessary experience in conflict and post-conflict settings to the U.S. consulate in Juba.

Prioritize the need for a cessation of attacks in Darfur, complete restoration of humanitarian aid including "non-essential services," unfettered access for aid organizations to all vulnerable populations and increased diplomatic attention to a comprehensive peace process including a viable plan for the safe return of millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

When the administration released its Sudan policy last fall, Secretary Clinton indicated that benchmarks would be applied to Sudan and that progress would be assessed "based on verifiable changes in conditions on the ground. Backsliding by any party will be met with credible pressure in the form of disincentives leveraged by our government and our international partners." But in the face of national elections that were neither free nor fair, in the face of continued violations of the U.N. arms embargo, in the face of Bashir’s failure to cooperate in any way with the International Criminal Court, we’ve seen no "disincentives" or "sticks" applied. This is a worst case scenario and guaranteed, if history is to be our guide, to fail.

Many in the NGO community and in Congress cautiously expressed support for the new policy when it was released, at the same time stressing that a policy on paper is only as effective as its implementation on the ground. More than six months have passed since the release of the strategy and implementation has been insufficient at best and altogether absent at worst.

During the campaign for the presidency, you said, regarding Sudan, "Washington must respond to the ongoing genocide and the ongoing failure to implement the CPA with consistency and strong consequences." These words ring true still today. Accountability is imperative. But the burden for action, the weight of leadership, now rests with you and with this administration alone. With the referendum in the South quickly approaching, the stakes could not be higher.
The marginalized people of Sudan yearn for your administration to find its voice on Sudan - and to find it now.

Sincerely,


Frank R. Wolf
Member of Congress




TEXT OF REMARKS DELIVERED AT PRESS CONFERENCE


"If President Obama is ever going to find his voice on Sudan, it had better be soon."

These were the closing words of New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in a piece two weeks ago. I could not agree more with his assessment of Sudan today. To put it bluntly, the status quo in terms of this administration’s approach toward Sudan is unacceptable. Time is running short. Lives hang in the balance. Real leadership is needed.

Having first travelled to Sudan in 1989, my interest and involvement in this country has spanned the better part of 20 years. I’ve been there five times, most recently in July 2004 when Senator Sam Brownback and I were the first congressional delegation to go to Darfur. I witnessed the nightmare with my own eyes. I heard heart-breaking stories of rape and slaughter. Over 300,000 Darfuris have died and nearly 3 million have been displaced. Many of the women and children we met in the IDP camps remain in this desperate situation. Initially their plight attracted intense media and Hollywood attention-as it should. But the desperation of those in the camps, while in reality undiminished, seems to have faded from the public eye. Many of the household names that engaged on this issue have moved on to the next cause, while the refrain "Never Again" echoes faintly.

Tragically, Darfur is hardly an anomaly. We saw the same scorched earth tactics from Khartoum in the brutal 20-year civil war with the South where more than 2 million perished, most of whom were civilians.

In January 2001, after having returned from a trip to Central Africa which included Sudan, I wrote the Bush administration urging the appointment of a high-level, high-profile special envoy for Sudan. It was the first of many letters I would write with this request.

Eventually in September 2001, the president appointed former Senator John Danforth as special envoy and his leadership was in fact instrumental in securing, after two and a half years of negotiations, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), thereby bringing about an end to the war. I was at the 2005 signing of this historic accord, as was then Secretary of State Colin Powell and Congressman Donald Payne, among others. Hopes were high for a new Sudan.

I remain grateful for President Bush’s leadership in helping to bring about an end to the bloodshed. There were many critics of the Bush administration’s foreign policy. In fact, I did not hesitate to criticize the administration when I believed they were failing to prioritize human rights. But even the critics must agree that President Bush and Secretary Powell’s leadership and Senator Danforth’s tireless efforts paved the way for lasting peace in Sudan.

Sadly, what remains of that peace is in jeopardy today. What remains of that hope is quickly fading.
Fast forward to 2009. I was part of a bipartisan group in Congress who called for the appointment of a special envoy shortly after President Obama was elected, in the hope of elevating the issue of Sudan. But what was once a successful model for Sudan policy is not having the desired effect today.

I am not alone in this belief.

Just last week, six respected NGOs that are intimately involved in Sudan advocacy and genocide-prevention ran compelling ads in The Washington Post and Politico calling for Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Rice to exercise "personal and sustained leadership on Sudan" in the face of a "stalemated policy" and waning U.S. credibility as a mediator.

In that same vein, today I join that growing chorus of voices in calling on the president to empower Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Ambassador Susan Rice to take control of the languishing Sudan policy. They should oversee quarterly deputies’ meetings to ensure options for consequences are on the table. In fact, I call on the president himself to exercise leadership in this regard, consistent with the explicit campaign promises he made about Sudan-promises which to date ring hollow.

There is a pressing and immediate need for renewed, principled leadership at the highest levels-leadership which, while recognizing the reality of the challenges facing Sudan, is clear-eyed about the history and the record of the internationally indicted war criminal at the helm in Khartoum.

We must not forget who we are dealing with in Bashir and his National Congress Party. In addition to the massive human rights abuses perpetrated by the Sudanese government against its own people, Sudan remains on the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism. It is well known that the same people currently in control in Khartoum gave safe haven to Osama bin Laden in the early 1990’s.

I was deeply troubled by Sudan Special Envoy Gration’s comments last summer at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that "there is no evidence in our intelligence community that supports [Sudan] being on the state sponsors of terrorism list..." His astonishing statement came despite the findings of the 2008 State Department Country Reports on Terrorism that "...there have been open source reports that arms were purchased in Sudan's black market and allegedly smuggled northward to Hamas."

I believe that this administration’s engagement with Sudan to date, under the leadership of General Gration, and with the apparent blessing of the president, has failed to recognize the true nature of Bashir and the NCP. As Sudan expert and former former State Department special representative on Sudan Roger Winter rightly pointed out in a November 2009 Sudan Tribune piece, "Both Bashir and his NCP have a perfect record insofar as agreements are concerned; they NEVER, EVER keep an agreement they sign."

The Washington Post editorial page echoed this sentiment this past weekend saying: "The problem, as always, is whether Mr. Bashir will deliver. He has frequently told Western governments what they wanted to hear, only to reverse himself when their attention drifted or it was time to deliver...the United States should refrain from prematurely recognizing Mr. Bashir's new claim to legitimacy. And it should be ready to respond when he breaks his word."

Let me repeat that last phrase: "when he breaks his word," not "if" he breaks his word.

While the hour is late, the administration can still chart a new course.

This past weekend on Meet the Press Secretary Clinton herself said she was "certainly not satisfied with where we are and what we're doing" about Sudan.

Ambassador Rice recently said, "We know that weapons continue to flow into Darfur, acts of sexual and gender-based violence continue unabated and with impunity, military over-flights and offensive actions continue. And though there has been the recent signing of the framework agreement, the fact is we continue to receive reports of offensive military actions by the Government of Sudan in Darfur. If these reports are true, this behavior does not suggest a new willingness on the part of Sudan to fully engage in the peace process."

These sorts of statements, which accurately reflect reality, are markedly different in tone and focus than the statements which continuously emerge from the Special Envoy’s office. The secretary and the ambassador understand the reality and speak it. That’s why it is critical that the president hand them the reigns. I have deep respect for Ambassador Rice, having worked with her on issues of common concern since the days of the Clinton administration. I am confident she would lend some much-needed gravity, pragmatism and toughness to the implementation of the administration’s stated policy.

Second, I urge the Obama administration, without delay, to move forward with its stated aim of strengthening the capacity of the security sector in the South. A good starting point would be to provide the air defense system that the South requested and President Bush approved in 2008. This defensive capability would help neutralize Khartoum’s major tactical advantage and make peace and stability more likely following the referendum vote.

Third, with regard to the elections, while they were a necessary part of the implementation of the CPA and an important step before the referendum, they were inherently flawed and I believe the Obama administration should not recognize the outcome of the presidential elections. I am concerned that the balance of power is shifting in favor of Bashir and that he has skillfully used the recent elections to lend an air of legitimacy to his rule.

Fourth, in looking ahead toward the referendum, the Obama administration should come out and clearly and unequivocally state at the highest level that the United States will honor the outcome of the referendum and will ensure its implementation.

Fifth, the U.S. should begin assisting the South in building support for the outcome of the referendum.

Sixth, the secretary of State should appoint an ambassador or senior political appointee with experience in conflict and post-conflict settings to the U.S. consulate in Juba.

Finally, the administration should prioritize the need for a cessation of attacks in Darfur, complete restoration of humanitarian aid, including "non-essential services," unfettered access for aid organizations to all vulnerable populations and increased diplomatic attention to a comprehensive peace process including a viable plan for the safe return of millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Today, I am sending a letter to President Obama outlining these seven recommendations and calling for urgent action on behalf of the marginalized people of Sudan.

When the Obama administration released its Sudan policy in fall 2009, Secretary Clinton indicated that benchmarks would be applied to Sudan and that progress would be assessed "based on verifiable changes in conditions on the ground. Backsliding by any party will be met with credible pressure in the form of disincentives leveraged by our government and our international partners." But in the face of national elections that were neither free nor fair, in the face of continued violations of the U.N. arms embargo, in the face of Bashir’s failure to cooperate in any way with the International Criminal Court, we’ve seen no "disincentives" or "sticks" applied.

This is a worst case scenario and guaranteed, if history is to be our guide, to fail. At the time of the administration’s release of the new policy, Enough Project co-founder John Prendergast wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "As the administration moves forward with this new strategy, it must not ignore the substantial track record of evidence that sustained pressure leveraged by meaningful sticks is what has moved the NCP during the last 20 years of authoritarian rule. Only when there have been real consequences has the Sudanese regime altered its behavior, such as when it severed its ties with al Qaeda in the late 1990s, ended aerial bombing and support for slave-raiding militias in the South, and agreed to the North-South peace deal in 2005."

Many in the NGO community and in Congress cautiously expressed support for the new policy when it was released, at the same time stressing that a policy on paper is only as effective as its implementation on the ground. More than six months have passed since the release of the strategy and implementation has been insufficient at best and altogether absent at worst.

During the campaign, then candidate Obama said regarding Sudan, "Washington must respond to the ongoing genocide and the ongoing failure to implement the CPA with consistency and strong consequences."

These words ring true still today. Accountability is imperative. But the burden for action, the weight of leadership, now rests with this president and this administration alone. With the referendum in the South quickly approaching, the stakes could not be higher.

I close with a slight variation on the words of Nicholas Kristof: If President Obama is ever going to find his voice on Sudan, it had better be now.

Labels: , , , , , , ,

Monday, May 3, 2010

THE TRUTH IS OBAMA IS SILENT ABOUT INJUSTICES OF GENOCIDE WHEN HE COULD BE MOST HELPFUL

Comment in regards to article below:

Mohamed,

We need to speak the truth, no matter who is or isn't listening. Truth is our ally. Certainly the weak lips of Gration - Obama's representative of his administration for Darfur and Sudan issues, is a disaster that just keeps the disaster going for injustice in Sudan. Obama is wrong to keep Gration. But he knows what Gration is saying and Obama, himself, is silent. Obama is wrong. We are on the side of truth. And Obama already has a legacy regarding Sudan that he should be hanging his head in shame about.

Sandra Hammel

First African American president to Promote Injustice in African Country

By Mohamed Yahya

http://www.radiodabanga.org/

May 01,2010.

As the victims and survivors of Darfur genocide, we are not surprised by the results of the Sudanese rigged, flawed elections that have been announced earlier this week, to declare a victory for Omar Al-Bashir, as a re-elected president to Sudan. But we are extremely shocked, and terribly annoyed for the support of some of the international community members, especially, the USA, the UN, the African Union, the Arab League, Muslim world and some of the European countries. It is so painful and enormously unbelievable moments for us, after all this agony, grievances and those beloved families, friends, relatives and people we lost, villages destroyed, our money, properties and animals lost.

We have worked very hard for many years to fulfill justice and promote lasting peace, freedom and democracy in our country. Suddenly, our hopes and dreams were gone without becoming true.


A man who orchestrated and perpetuated a heinous crimes against humanity, committed war crimes, genocide, by wiping out more than 450,000 people in Darfur alone from 2003 to the present day, was set to get away with it. He was to escape justice without accountability, even though he was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) March 4, 2009 with arrest warrant passed against him and other suspects such as Ahmad Haroun, who promoted as a Governor of South Kordoan, Ali Kusheeb, the Janjaweed Leader.


In the peak of the 21st century, before the eyes of the world, Mr. Al-Bashir and his National Congress Party (NCP) have been rewarded and promoted for what they did in Darfur for over a decade, including killings, raping, displacing and enslaving the innocent, for no reason other than their ethnic identity, culture, language and beliefs.


People born free and deserving to live free on their land - have been targeted and their oppressors are set to be let go free of charges. When Dr. Martin Luther King said:" I have a dream, " our dream doesn't comes true. He also said: "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last".


But this time, not for us...it is for Al-Bashir and the rest of the NCP, who are killers. They are the ones who are set free at last. It is history repeating itself from America to Darfur of Africa today.


As humanitarian and civic rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King voicing powerful words, said: " It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note in so far as her citizens of color are concerned.Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked 'insufficient funds'. But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt."


And guess what?


Who has turned a blind to the suffering of Africans in Darfur?

* A man who claims to be in charge of change, democracy and civic rights movement and inheritor of Mr. King's legacy.
* A man from the same African decent, and the first African American president of the United States of America.
* A man called "Obama" who promised to do as good, as Mr. King asked for.
"The United States has a moral obligation anytime you see humanitarian catastrophes. We can't say 'never again' and then allow it to happen again as President of the United States, I don't intend to abandon people or turn a blind eye to slaughter." Presidential candidate Barack Obama

Unfortunately, President Obama and his administration, specifically, General Gration have deliberately, ignored and turned a blind eye to Darfur and supported the indicted President Al-Bashir and his notorious regime financially, logistically,and technically for the Doha negotiations and the manipulated and stolen elections that were boycotted by Darfuris and major parties in Sudan and by most American people. But Obama's White House says: "Okay" to the Sudan's rigged elections despite the frauds, harassment, blocking the opponents, forcing for voter registration, bribes, intimidation and all kinds of rights violations and free choices.


Therefore, Al-Bashir has been given a green light to win an election without any competition, and he later claimed victory to wash his bloody hands. This happened while the so-called United Nations Security Council remained silent following USA's example with no rejections or objections.


At the end of the day, only the people of Darfur are paying the price because the Sudan government and the Janjaweed are continuously attacking Darfur still now, bombing more Darfuri villages. They have escalated the situation significantly after the election's results were announced Monday April 26, 2010, after threats of demonstrations by the angry civilians rejecting election results declaring Al-Bashir's victory. Since then, extensive troops are surrounding all cities, villages and camps and are blocking roads with people kept hostage in their homes. The forces of injustice are declaring de-facto martial law and affecting restriction of movements, especially in El-fasir, Al-geneina and Nyala. This is in addition to unidentified numbers of causalities that continue to be reported.


Regarding Darfur and Sudan, at this time, there is no clear indication that the USA and its allies' polices are going to protest such vicious actions. But it seems to be that their focus is on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement's (CPA) implementation and the 2011 Southern Sudan's referendum. That is more important to this Obama administration than Darfur and the rest of Sudan. They want to separate the country and keep it apart instead of being united in one Sudan. They have ignored the best and logical fair solution by isolating and changing Al-Bashir's NCP regime, which is the real threat and the reason of Sudan's separation. The USA-led world is determined to pursue a foreign policy path that will lead to the Southern Sudan secession.

It is obviously about interest of oil resources, as well as a religious factor that draws the attention of some in the Obama administration. There has been a significant growth of religious lobbyists' groups who have an interest in Southern Sudan, who are influencing events behind the scenes, as well as, others who are shouting "Save Sudan" not "Save Darfur." Some have even further outrageous views and are jealously claiming that Darfur gotten more attention than it deserves.


Some have ignored the fact that Southern Sudan has it's autonomy governed by Southerners, enjoying a peace that Darfuris lacked under the control of dictatorial fascist government of Al-Bashir, who has made Darfuris' lives suffering a hellish nightmare on a daily basis.


It is bitterness to discriminate against one nation in terms of religion, culture, language, ethnicity, or beliefs, repeating the same policy used by their oppressors. It is terribly sad to see things moving to the opposite direction at the expense of Sudanese people specifically Darfuris and South Sudanese themselves. No wise person would think for a moment that a separation of Southern Sudan from Sudan will gives them more privileges than unity. Sudan is a unique country because of it's strategic location, solid united capacity, riches and spectacular land in its holiness, and a significant amount of a rare resources.


Some are trying to take an advantage of CPA, as if it is a Bible in everything, which was not and never could be perfect. It is a man-made law and could be amended for such useful adjustments to benefit with respect and dignity for all, not just a few. It is totally unjustified when you know the SPLM leader, such as the late Dr. John Garang, who fought for over twenty years, for one united Sudan from Nimoli south to Wadi Halfa north, and Algeniena of west Darfur to the Port Sudan at east. His priority fight and principals were for a united Sudan. He could have been satisfied with a referendum from the beginning and stopped fighting and had what he wanted without more bloodshed. He was one of the most charismatic and farsighted leaders Africa ever had. Therefore, his famous statement is still ringing in our ears: "I need to see Sudan like a dish of salad" - all different colors green, red, white, yellow and black. He died in a mysterious helicopter crash, gone with his secrets forever. God rest his soul in peace.


It is stunning and compelling when political decisions are directed against the people's will. We are against the policies and politics that defy human dignity, human rights and liberty. It is sham to see those shouting "YES, for Justice"
yesterday and saying: "NO" today or remaining silent, Mr. Obama. History will never forgive them. The whole world will never forgive them. It is shameful to accommodate the criminals and forget the victims.

We urge and ask President Obama of the most powerful country in the world, America, to reject this sham election and support the International Criminal Court (ICC) to enforce justice in Sudan against the barbaric fundamentalism before it was too late.


We also urging the Special Envoy General Scott Gration to stop promoting the corrupt government in Sudan and its stolen elections. It is unfair to held what so-called "off the records meetings" in certain places to support the rigged elections and Al-Bashir government.


We are so offended to hear the head of South Sudan Mission in the USA, Mr. Ezekiel at the Corner Stone Church of Virginia last April 25, 2010, supporting what general Gration emphasizing about the elections as fair and free.


"We must do it on time to keep the referendum on time. We all knew who was going to win a year ago...if you don't know the results going to be,then you don't know anything" as General Gration stated responding to audience questions even they knew it wasn't right.


Supporting the wrong outcome to justify the referendum regardless how it will affect the whole situation in the country and will make a mockery of our shared commitment to justice, human dignity and our universal human rights.


Contact President Obama
www.whitehouse.gov/contact

www.whitehouse.gov/contact/organizations


202-456-1111
1-800-GENOCIDE


U.S. Special Envoy Travels to Sudan and Ethiopia
U.S. Department of State Blog
Leave a comment for Gration
http://blogs.state.gov/sudan/index.php/site/entry/gration_sudan_ethiopia

..............................................

..............................................
Uploaded by
ilovemylifesblog

Genocide Will Only Stop With Us

Our Leaders Have Taught Us This

Over and Over

Labels: , , , , , , , , ,