❧❧❧ Whatever you can do or dream, you can BEGIN IT. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Goethe ❧❧❧
❧❧❧ You were born whole, not broken. Sandra Hammel ❧❧❧
Much of the personal writing on this post has been removed. I know it is probably cached but I felt it may be a mistake to leave it here.
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I believe the deepest need we have is to feel connected. The best that I can do is to open up. I know there have to be others out there who are looking to connect and just haven't found the words, the understanding or someone to confide in their deepest feelings and tenderness.
Aside from looking at my own vulnerabilities, I have become interested in Heath Ledger recently. I have come late to the admiration of his work, but also I am trying to understand what is so connectable about him for me. The best parts of his movies' dvds are the special features and commentaries. I like those on A Knights Tale, The Four Feathers and Brokeback Mountain. He isn't fidgeting in the interviews of A Knights Tale and The Four Feathers, but calm and introspective. There is a wonderful segment just about him on the dvd of A Knights Tale. I used some of it in this video.
In Brokeback Mountain's dvd special feature - The Making of Brokeback Mountain - he says that he always likes to bare his soul a little bit...that it is theraputic.
It is apparent that when Heath was creating, he was most at home and comfortable. There had to be some internal struggle. The drugs, legal or not, didn't serve him well. What he could convey through the lens of a video camera came across as genuine and connected to my heart. Except for the joker in A Dark Knight and Ned Kelly. The humility, down-to-earth conversation, shyness and restlessness that came across in interviews couldn't help but show a side to Heath that showed him to be a mystery of complexity. I'll never understand Heath.
Rafa practicing in Madrid Above two photos credit: Oscar Gallardo/Enfoque/Cameleon/AbacaPress.com
Photo credit: Marca
Rafa at press conference Photo credit: Corbis
Tennis - Clay Court Season Continues in Madrid, Spain This Week .......................................................
....................................................... Photo credits: AS, Belga, Daylife, el mundo, Getty, JAMD, Marca, Yahoo Round 2 Madrid Rafa Nadal vs. Jurgen Melzer
UNITED NATIONS, May 13 (Reuters) - Sudanese government forces on Wednesday carried out a bombing raid near a town in Sudan's western Darfur region that has been the scene of recent fighting, a U.N. spokeswoman said.
"UNAMID forces observed Sudanese government aircraft bombing targets north of Umm Baru, a North Darfur town that has been the scene of recent fighting," U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas told reporters.
She was referring to the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur, known as UNAMID.
Montas said UNAMID troops and police had heard several explosions early on Wednesday.
Sudan's U.N. ambassador, Abdalmahmoud Abdalhaleem, was not immediately available for comment.
Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebels said on Saturday that they had fought off an ambush in Umm Baru by Sudanese armed forces and troops loyal to former rebel Minni Arcua Minnawi, the only Darfur rebel to sign a peace deal with the government in 2006. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Sandra Maler)
OFTEN accused of taking on too many issues, President Obama is catching flak from some of his most ardent liberal supporters, who say he's neglecting the paramount international human-rights crisis -- the Darfur genocide.
So they're fasting, writing letters and posting videos on YouTube pressing him to take a leadership role he promised he'd take on Darfur.
The Web site "Darfur Fast for Life" showcases the frustrations of Pam Omidyar, who, with her husband Pierre, the founder and chairman of e-Bay, was among Obama's top supporters. Joining Omidyar in her fast are such activists as Gabriel Stauring, founder of Stop Genocide Now, and Shannon Sedgwick Davis, a supporter who calls Obama's inaction "unbelievably disappointing." Actress Mia Farrow initiated the fast, but was advised by her doctor to stop after 12 days of consuming only water. British billionaire Richard Branson has taken over for her.
They've watched as Obama has tackled the economy, health care, global warming, the tax system, financial regulations, education reform, embryonic stem-cell research and more. Sadly, human rights don't seem to have made the cut. (Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shocked many when she asserted recently regarding China that human-rights issues couldn't interfere with such other issues as solving the economic crisis).
During his campaign, Obama raised expectations among human-rights activists that he'd place Darfur at the top of his agenda. He highlighted a "passion in bringing an end to this crisis." Calling genocide "a stain on all of us," he claimed that "the United States has a moral obligation any time you see humanitarian catastrophe."
On a 2007 visit to the region, Archbishop Desmond Tutu called Darfur "one of the most awful places in the world." In March of this year, it got even more awful. That's when the Sudanese government kicked out 13 international aid organizations that provided almost two thirds of the sustenance in the refugee camps, threatening the lives of an estimated 1 million people.
Says one activist, "These camps were already abysmal. Now just ratchet that down 60 percent."
The White House's response has been disheartening. By the time it got around to saying anything on the situation, the aid groups had been forced from the country. Some activists felt that had they spoken up earlier and more forcefully, it could have made a difference.
Speaking of Darfur during the campaign, Obama said: "As president of the United States, I don't intend to abandon people." Yet he is. About genocide, he said, "We can't say 'never again' and allow it to happen again." But it is happening again.
Worse, some worry that the mastermind of all this suffering, Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, is manipulating Obama's special envoy to Darfur, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Gration. Bashir has charmed outsiders who believe (erroneously) that he sincerely desires to work to end the suffering. Activists were especially alarmed when Gration provided an overly sunny report of Darfur's ground situation and told some privately that it could be time to ease sanctions and remove Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Activist Shannon Sedgwick Davis dismisses the idea that Obama is too busy with the economy to address Darfur. "That's an easy out," Sedgwick Davis says. "He has an amazing team that surrounds him for issues just like this and he needs to empower them to do much, much more. That's what they are there for. Hillary Clinton isn't sitting in her office trying to balance the budget."
Gabriel Stauring of Stop Genocide Now has visited the Darfur refugee camps seven times and despairs over the rapidly worsening conditions. He says of those suffering there, "They put so much hope in America. They have this idea that America stands for the right thing and that help is going to come. When Obama took office their hope shot through the roof. They are waiting."
How much longer will they have to wait?
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You can write to President Obama
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500
The Homestake Gold Mine, in Lead, South Dakota, operated for 125 years and produced 41 million troy ounces of gold(over $24 billion at today's gold prices of over $600 per ounce). In the summer of 1874, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer was sent into the Black Hills by Gen. Philip Sheridan to search for gold. This was in direct violation of the Treaty of Fort Laramie of 1868. Today, there is a large photograph at the mine of Custer and his entourage entering the Black Hills. The caption information tells us that after gold was discovered, many miners came into the Black Hills in defiance of the army and the Indians but fails to mention that Custer’s army was violating the 1868 Treaty. Neither does the caption information remind visitors to the mine that article 6 of the U.S. Constitution calls a treaty the supreme law of the land. Custer came into the Black Hills with 1,000 soldiers, over 100 covered wagons, 2 or 3 gatling guns, a cannon, a 16 piece brass band mounted on white horses, and two prospectors who were the experts on gold. On July 30th 1874 Custer sent a dispatch to Ft. Laramie which read: “Gold has been found in paying quantities. I have upon my table 40 or 50 small particles of pure gold. In size averaging that of a small pinhead. And most of it found today from one pan full of earth.” Today, the area where the placer gold (gold carried by mountain streams) was found , is the town of Custer, South Dakota. Probably the most significant bit of information absent from the Custer photograph at the mine is what the President of the United States said to Congress the following year: “…The Discovery of gold in the Black Hills, a portion of the Sioux Reservation, has had the effect to induce a large immigration of miners to that point. Thus far the effort to protect the treaty rights of the Indians to that section has been successful, but the next year will certainly witness a large increase of such immigration. The negotiations for the relinquishment of the gold fields having failed, it will be necessary for Congress to adopt some measures to relieve the embarrassment growing out of the causes named. The Secretary of the Interior suggests that the supplies now appropriated for the sustenance of that people, Being no longer obligatory under the treaty of 1868, but simply a gratuity, may be issued or withheld at his discretion.” President Ulysses S. Grant’s entire message can be found in Messages and Papers of the Presidents Vol. 9 Pg.4306.
AIGM President, Steve Melendez, and his children at the site of the Homestake Gold Mine. The mine is an open pit 1250 ft. deep and a half mile across. (Summer 2006)
The fact that President Grant would suggest that a starvation policy should be implemented may be difficult for most Americans to believe but the attitude of that day can be found in the words of another President whose image is carved 40 miles south of the Homestake Mine on Mt. Rushmore.
Mount Rushmore in South Dakota
"The Most ultimately righteous of all wars is a war with savages. The rude, fierce settler who drives the savage from the land lays all civilized mankind under a debt to him...it is of incalculable importance that America, Australia, and Siberia should pass out of the hands of their red, black, and yellow aboriginal owners, and become the heritage of the dominant world races."The Winning of the West Vol. 4 The Indian Wars Page 56 by President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt
Wounded Knee
If you ever have the opportunity to visit the mass grave site of the Wounded Knee Massacre, you must reflect on why such a thing happened. It was the 7th Cavalry that did it, so the average American is led to believe that it was revenge for Custer’s Last Stand at the Little Big Horn. But knowing President Grant’s words to Congress is to know that the gold was on the Sioux Reservation and that Custer was there in violation of the Treaty of Ft. Laramie of 1868. And to know President Grant’s words to Congress is to know that he called on America to starve the Indians off their land.
Wounded Knee, December 1890. Courtesy of the Denver Public Library
Wounded Knee Memorial Site, 2006.
When a president of a country openly calls for the deliberate and systematic destruction of a people, what other conclusion can be reached? If you ever visit the mass grave site at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, know that the men, women and children who were thrown into this trench, were the victims of genocide.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – At 9:00am EST, Wednesday, March 4, 2009, please join the Enough Project for a global press conference to discuss the International Criminal Court’s decision in the case of Omar al-Bashir, President of Sudan. The ICC prosecutor has applied for an arrest warrant for Mr. Bashir on charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The Court has announced its intention to rule from The Hague, Netherlands, on March 4.
WHAT: Press call in the International Criminal Court case against Omar al-Bashir of Sudan
WHEN: Wednesday, March 4th at 9am EST/3pm in The Hague
WHERE: By telephone, 888-674-0222 from the U.S.; 201-604-0498 outside the U.S.
ID: Enough Project
WHO: John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project, an Africa policy expert, activist, and author who has participated in numerous peace processes in Africa, including his service at the National Security Council and the Department of State
John Norris, Executive Director of the Enough Project, a former official of the U.S. State Department, international policy and humanitarian organizations, and the United Nations, and the author of two books
David M. Crane, Professor at Syracuse University College of Law, former founding Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, an international war crimes tribunal that indicted the former president of Liberia, Charles Taylor
The International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, a historic action that marks the first time the tribunal has acted against a sitting head of state. The charges stem from a July 2008 request by ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo and include crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The warrant specifically did not include the charges of genocide requested by the Chief Prosecutor last July.
The Court noted: "He is suspected of being criminally responsible as an indirect [co]perpetrator for intentionally directing attacks against an important part of the civilian population of Darfur, Sudan, murdering, exterminating, raping, torturing, and forcibly transferring large numbers of civilians and pillaging their property."
In announcing the arrest warrant, an ICC spokesman noted that the fact that Mr. Bashir is a sitting president "does not exclude his criminal responsibility nor does it grant him immunity against prosecution before the International Criminal Court."
The Enough Project issued the following statement in response:
"The International Criminal Court arrest warrant for President Omer al-Bashir provides an unprecedented opening, making Sudan's prospects for peace riper than they have been in memory,” said John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project. “How the Obama administration handles this immediate foreign policy challenge will have a major impact on the outcome. It is crucial for the new president's team to clarify to Arab states, China and others that the U.S. policy objective is a just and durable peace for Sudan.”
John Norris, The Enough Project’s Executive Director, added, “This message should be heard loudly and clearly around the globe: If you kill, maim, and rape your own citizens, there will be a cost for your actions. I hope other tyrants and warlords around the globe are taking note. Slobodan Milosevic, Charles Taylor, and now, President Bashir were only willing to learn the hard way. There are now millions of activists around the United States that expect the Obama Administration to make both peace and justice a priority in Sudan.”
The issuance of an arrest warrant for Sudan’s sitting head of state for crimes against humanity offers the Obama administration a chance to catalyze multilateral efforts to bring about a solution to Sudan’s decades-long cycle of warfare. One of the crucial missing ingredients to conflict resolution efforts has been some form of accountability for the horrific crimes against humanity that have been perpetrated by the warring parties in Sudan, primarily the Khartoum regime.
President Obama should now take a number of key steps, including:
Working with the U.N. Security Council to support targeted sanctions against those most responsible for violence in Sudan and imposing a comprehensive arms embargo against the Government of Sudan;
Making UNAMID effective with a robust force on the ground in Darfur with a competent lead nation and a clear command-and-control structure;
Working closely with interested parties with leverage in Sudan and the region, especially China, the United Kingdom, France, and key African countries, to coordinate efforts on peace efforts, the protection of civilians, and accountability;
Countering continued violations by Sudan on the UN ban on offensive military flights in Darfur; and
Appointing a senior Special Envoy to not only address the situation in Darfur, but Sudan’s multiple conflicts and their regional dimensions.
The newswires are buzzing, rumors are flying, and capitals will soon be rushing out statements on the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant issuance this morning. Humanitarian organizations in Darfur and embassies in Khartoum have been bracing for the ICC’s decision for some time now. The sky is not going to fall today in Sudan, but as Enough’s John Prendergast and Omer Ismail note in a recent opinion-editorial, the sands will be shifting in Sudan as the international community adapts to the reality of having an indicted war criminal as president.
Here at the Enough Project (and right here on our blog), we will keep you informed and offer analysis of the latest developments, with an emphasis on what precisely the U.S. government should do to lead international efforts to end the crisis in Darfur and promote a peaceful future in Sudan. We hope you’ll stay tuned with us.
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WATCH the new Enough Slideshow: Building a Permanent Deterrent to Impunity: A Brief History of International Justice
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
READ our ("our" means http://www.enoughproject.org/) special page highlighting the recent developments at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
For the first time in a quarter-century, Sudan has a chance for peace throughout the entire country. On the face of it, this assertion seems counterintuitive – even preposterous. Darfur is burning, and the historic 2005 agreement that brought peace between northern and southern Sudan is at risk of collapse. Sudan scholars throughout the world busy their days penning academic dirges, and diplomats despair. We've seen that many of California's anti-genocide activists are losing hope as well.
We beg to differ. The expected International Criminal Court arrest warrant tomorrow for President Omer al-Bashir and shifting international sands provide an unprecedented opening, making Sudan's prospects for peace riper than they have been in memory.
According to the arm-chair academics and Chicken Littles, the move by the ICC – its first charges against a sitting president in that institution's young history – will make peace impossible. Beyond the basic ridiculousness of the argument that we should not act against war criminals for fear of upsetting them, this line of reasoning is painfully detached from the reality on the ground.
During our eight trips to Darfur since the genocide began in 2003, we have found that displaced and war-affected Darfuris don't see a tension between justice and peace, and rightly note that one will be very hard without the other. The refugees and displaced put the problem in the clearest of terms: How can you have peace when the president of Sudan has tried to exterminate us, stealing our land, killing our men and raping our women? How can you have peace without justice?
The new Obama administration has sobered the Bashir regime, but made it no less dangerous. The leaders in Sudan's capital now understand that their abuses will not simply be swept under the rug if they offer token counterterrorism cooperation.
Bashir's troubles are mounting. His staunchest supporters are backing away, slowly. China is deeply concerned that its oil investments will be put at risk by Bashir's continued warmongering. Arab states have similar concerns about their huge investments in Sudan's oil-fueled economic boom. Egypt in particular sees Bashir as a liability. His regime supported the assassination attempt against President Hosni Mubarak in 1995, backed Saddam Hussein in the two Gulf wars, and now is fully behind Hamas in Gaza.
Tensions are boiling within Bashir's government in response to these challenges, and particularly the ICC. Some key regime insiders want to find an exit strategy for Bashir, whether that involves a comfortable retirement, standing him down in advance of upcoming elections, or removal. This group would then shift toward a greater accommodation with the international community, opening the door for better peace prospects. Others, however, are much more hard-line, wanting to impose martial law, withdraw from the north-south peace deal, and push U.N. peacekeeping forces out of Darfur and the south.
It is not an exaggeration to say that millions of Sudanese lives may depend on which group emerges victorious. How the Obama administration handles this immediate foreign policy challenge will have a major impact on the outcome. It is crucial for the new president's team to clarify to Arab states, China and others that the U.S. policy objective is a just and durable peace for Sudan.
Even more important will be Obama's ability to lay out a clear diplomatic strategy for achieving peace in Sudan, and sell that road map to other influential international actors. Remember the mantra of Darfur's displaced: no peace without justice. The administration ideally should pursue a two-track approach that seeks intensified peace efforts for Darfur and the south on the one hand, and the sidelining of the indicted war criminal Bashir on the other. On the peace track, the United States should be out front publicly, working closely with U.N., Arab League and African Union diplomats to establish a more credible and accelerated negotiations process. But on the latter track dealing with accountability for Bashir's crimes, President Obama's quiet diplomacy with China and key Arab states will be instrumental.
If Bashir and his cronies publicly laugh at this arrest warrant, it will be nervous laughter at best. The list of war criminals such as Charles Taylor, Slobodan Milosevic, Radovan Karadzic, Théoneste Bagosora and others who have been held to account for their atrocities is growing pleasingly longer by the day.
Prendergast is cofounder of Enough, the project to end genocide and crimes against humanity at the Center for American Progress. He also was a visiting professor at the University of San Diego. Ismail, an adviser to Enough, founded the Darfur Peace and Development organization.
On the eve of the increasingly probable issuance of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, two opinion pieces discussing the issue appear in the New York Times. South African clergyman and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu has an incredible opinion piece in support of ICC action that rebuts arguments, such as the one put forth in an editorial by Franklin Graham, that “The removal of Mr. Bashir will make it harder to negotiate an end to the crisis in Sudan.”
Graham, the president of the evangelical relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, seems to insinuate that because Bashir addressed a handful of peripheral concerns voiced by influential Americans, he is a rational actor, and that he is a necessary component of any lasting peace despite the atrocities he has perpetrated. In combating that point of view, Tutu writes,
“There can be no real peace and security until justice is enjoyed by the inhabitants of the land. There is no peace precisely because there had been no justice. As painful and inconvenient as justice may be, we have seen that the alternative – allowing accountability to fall by the wayside – is worse.”
Enough has been a vociferous advocate of Tutu’s position that the peace vs. justice debate constitutes a false choice, and that justice is a necessary component of any peace effort in Sudan.
Tutu is one of the best known and regarded human rights activists in the world. His experience with truth and reconciliation as well as his gravitas makes his calls for justice in Sudan all the more powerful.
John Norris contributed to this post.
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The International Criminal Court will announce this Wednesday, March 4th at 8:00am EST (2:00 PM in The Hague) whether it will issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
Take Action! - Call the White House tomorrow morning
Call the White House today at 202-456-1111 and ask President Obama to condemn the violence in Darfur and warn the Sudanese government not to escalate its criminal campaign. Tell President Obama we must bring an end to the genocide under his watch and that you expect his administration to support the ICC's quest for justice for the Darfuri people.
Updated information on the press conference of March 4, 2009 on the decision of Pre-Trial Chamber I concerning President Al Bashir of Sudan
After the press conference, which will be hosted by the Registrar of the Court, Ms Silvana Arbia, and the ICC Spokesperson, Ms Laurence Blairon, the Prosecutor, Mr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, will also make a short statement in English and take some questions.
The following text came today in an email from Save Darfur:
The International Criminal Court will announce this Wednesday, March 4th at 8:00am EST (2:00 PM in The Hague) whether it will issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
Take Action! - Call the White House tomorrow morning
Call the White House today at 202-456-1111 and ask President Obama to condemn the violence in Darfur and warn the Sudanese government not to escalate its criminal campaign. Tell President Obama we must bring an end to the genocide under his watch and that you expect his administration to support the ICC's quest for justice for the Darfuri people.
Rallies organized by the Darfuri community - Washington, DC and New York
We encourage you to attend upcoming rallies organized by Darfuri and Sudanese diaspora communities in New York and Washington, DC.
Wednesday March 4th 1:00 PM: Darfuri community leaders in New York will rally in response to the ICC's decision on the Bashir arrest warrant. Join them at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza outside the United Nations (East 47th Street @ 1st & 2nd Ave).
Thursday March 5th 1:00 PM: Join Sudanese and Darfuri diaspora leaders as they rally in front of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, DC (2210 Massachusetts Ave).
Press conferences - live from The Hague and the United Nations on March 4th
The Pre-Trial Chamber I's decision concerning President Al Bashir of Sudan will be announced during a press conference at the Court this Wednesday, 4 March 2009. The press conference, broadcast live on the Court's website at www.icc-cpi.int, is expected to start at 8 AM Eastern.
In New York, the Coalition for the ICC will be organizing a briefing with journalists at 10:00 a.m. in response to the Chamber's decision at the United Nations Secretariat. We invite you to watch the CICC's briefing live (or access the archived video) at www.un.org/webcast.
Webcast - hear from Save Darfur and Enough
Tune in for a webcast on the implications of the ICC decision by the Save Darfur Coalition and the Enough Project. The webcast is scheduled for the afternoon of March 9, 2009 and will feature a discussion of what the ICC's decision on the Bashir warrant means. More details coming soon via e-mail, and posted at www.savedarfur.org/justice.
We look forward to working with you to ensure peace and justice during this important moment for Sudan.
IN THE EYES OF MANY THE USA HAS LOST ANY CREDIBILITY
I read it. I hear it. I understand it to a point. ...that I have no right to speak up against the genocide or what is happening in Sudan because of the things that my government has done that is wrong. Or criminal.
But in the end, I don't buy it. I know the USA has done criminal things under the Bush administration, specifically and most recently. And I firmly believe that justice should be sought in those cases.
But being silent in the case of genocide of the Darfuri people, just because I am a citizen of the United States of America, isn't something I am willing to be.
I received a message the other day from someone who has not been to my blog, but left a message at MyBlogLog page. He told me to let Sudan solve its own problems about Darfur. The Darfur crisis alone is entering its seventh year. That is not taking into account what happened previously in southern Sudan. The holocaust lasted 12 years. How long should we wait? Five more years?
Email text received February 28, 2009 from a Sudanese living in the United States presently
The Arabic London-based newspaper (Alsharq Alawsat) published today (2/28/09) a warning from Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal that he will confront decisively any one (including organizations), whether domestic or international in Darfur, who supports or has anything to do with the ICC (International Criminal Court) decision issuing the warrant of arrest against Al-Bashir.
Musa Hilal said he has mobilized more than 30 thousand of well-armed Mugahideen ready to deal with any development resulting from the ICC warrant of arrest. He said: " We will not hesitate on immediate response to any betrayal or any move to support the ICC ."
..................................................... Video Link Defectors from the Sudanese regime explain their role in the Sudanese Government's planning and execution of mass atrocities in Darfur, implicating members of the regime at the highest level. Uploaded by AegisTrust
Many hope that the International Criminal Court's genocide case against President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir will lead to reform. But an arrest warrant, expected Wednesday, could also ignite more violen
By Edmund Sanders March 1, 2009
Reporting from Khartoum, Sudan -- The billboard in downtown Khartoum delivers a not-so-subtle message to passing cars: "A real Sudanese never stands against a president during his time of need," reads the text, under a picture of a smiling President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir.
As if anyone in the Sudanese capital needed any reminders, an arrest warrant on genocide charges is expected to be issued against Bashir on Wednesday by the International Criminal Court, in a case that threatens to send the country down a path of uncertainty and instability.
Many hope that the war-crimes case stemming from Bashir's handling of the Darfur conflict in western Sudan will prod the hard-nosed regime into making reforms and ending the six-year war.
But officials and analysts, both inside and outside the country, worry that the case could instead push the ruling party into a more antagonistic, isolationist stance, or even ignite another civil war.
"This is a whole new reality," said Fouad Hikmat, the Horn of Africa director at the International Crisis Group. "It's anybody's guess what happens now."
The arrest warrant is only the latest dark cloud emerging in what some see as a perfect storm brewing against Sudan's Islamist-led ruling party, which seized power in a 1989 coup.
National elections this year will test the party's popular support and could unravel a fragile power-sharing agreement it forged with southern rebels. A new U.S. president has filled his administration with advisors who advocate a get-tough stance toward Sudan. Falling oil prices are bringing the country's once-thriving economy to its knees.
"This is going to be a decisive year for Sudan -- one that could determine whether the country will survive or not," said Hayder Ibrahim, founder of the Center for Sudanese Studies, an independent think tank in Khartoum.
The ICC case arose from the government's counter-insurgency campaign in Darfur. Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has accused Bashir of supervising a genocidal plot to wipe out certain tribes in the region. Private militias allegedly funded by the government killed 35,000 people and led to the deaths of at least 100,000 others from hunger and disease, according to the ICC case.
Government officials deny that genocide has taken place and accuse Western nations, chiefly the U.S., of using the ICC to topple an oil-rich Islamic republic with a history of opposing Washington policy in Africa and the Middle East.
"The ICC is targeting Sudan because Sudan is a very rich country," Sudanese presidential advisor Ali Tamim Fartak said.
How the government responds to the arrest warrant in the coming months, and how the world reacts, will be instrumental in determining Sudan's future, experts say.
So far, the official government response has ranged from dismissing the case as inconsequential to warning it will increase violence in Darfur and spur attacks against Westerners in Khartoum. Last month, Sudan's intelligence chief, Salah Abdallah Gosh, said the case might trigger a rise in Islamic extremism.
Diplomats and U.N. officials in Sudan say the government's next move is unclear, but leaders appear to be leaving all options open, from a peace deal to war.
On the one hand, Bashir, who last fall convened the first-ever national convention to address the Darfur conflict, has opened peace talks with the leading rebel group and has sent diplomatic signals to the U.S. about democratic and humanitarian reforms.
"The time of the rifle is over," Bashir recently told an audience of opposition leaders.
At the same time, according to a Western diplomat in Sudan, the government has been arming militias throughout the southern and western regions -- the same strategy widely suspected to have been used in Darfur -- just in case rebels or political rivals move against it.
Harassment against opposition leaders, journalists, human rights activists and aid workers has increased substantially over the last six months. One man was convicted in January of treason for allegedly providing information to the ICC. Prominent Islamist Hassan Turabi was jailed after calling on Bashir to turn himself over to the ICC.
But some anti-government activists expressed mixed feelings about the ICC case, which is viewed by many Sudanese as a challenge to the country's sovereignty.
"I dream about getting rid of the government, but it should come through internal movement, not from the ICC," human rights activist Azhari Alhaj said. "Having the ICC come in at this sensitive time could have a negative impact, because we are going to be seen as working for the ICC. We are the ones who are going to suffer, and no one in the international community is going to protect us."
In its lobbying campaign against the ICC, the government has been trying to inflame nationalist sentiments, portraying the case as a "re-colonization" of Sudan and Africa by foreign powers.
But U.S. officials say that beneath the veneer of national unity and public support for Bashir, Sudan's ruling party is already debating whether its president has become a liability. There are rumors that some of Bashir's political backers are angling to replace him.
John Prendergast, an anti-genocide activist and Obama administration advisor, said the ruling party had a history of doing what needed to be done to survive.
"They are going to have a serious debate about whether the interests of the ruling party are best served by having [an accused] war criminal as president," Prendergast said, predicting Bashir would be nudged aside and offered asylum outside the country.
If Sudan were to replace Bashir or agree to reforms, U.S. officials are prepared to allow the ICC case to be deferred by the U.N. Security Council.
"They are going to use the arrest warrant like a loaded gun, but not fire it," said one U.S. government official who was not authorized to speak publicly. "It's a way to say, 'Here is your last chance.' "
Others warn such a strategy is fraught with risk. Former U.S. envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios questioned whether Sudan's ruling clique would respond to outside pressure.
"We are assuming that they will become more rational," he said. "But they become more inflexible, more confrontational and more brutal the more they are cornered."
Natsios warned that the ICC arrest warrant might trigger the collapse of the regime or a return to war, particularly if it distracts from implementation of the 2005 peace treaty that ended the civil war with southern rebels.
"We could end up with another Rwanda or Somalia or Democratic Republic of Congo in which hundreds of thousands of people could be killed," he said. "We could end up with something much worse."
Special correspondent Alsanosi Ahmed contributed to this report.
* I'm calling to ask President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton and Ambassador Rice to protect innocent civilians in Darfur in the wake of Bashir's arrest warrant. Please issue immediate warnings to Bashir and the government of Sudan specifying consequences of attacks on civilians. Please also prepare an emergency response plan to address further violence and appoint a full-time senior level envoy. Lastly, please stand firm in support of the ICC indictment and veto any delay in the prosecution of Bashir.
I took time out of my citizen activism regarding preventing and stopping genocide, specifically of Darfuri families. During my time-out, I worked as a volunteer with the Presidential candidate's campaign at the time, Barack Obama. Now, I am asking President Obama - along with everyone else who cares about inhumane behavior toward humans - to take the critically important step to select a high official for the Sudanese people of Darfur. Immediately. A Video with Barack Obama speaking on Darfur - while on the Presidential campaign trail
A Previous post of mine on Darfur "The United States has a moral obligation anytime you see humanitarian catastrophes... ...And when you see a genocide whether it's in Rwanda, or Bosnia or in Darfur - that's a stain on all of us, that's a stain on our souls...
I think the level of commitment and the way that I've spoken out on this issue indicates not only knowledge but also passion in bringing an end to this crisis.
It's very encouraging to see activism based not on self interest but on a moral imperative. And it's especially heartening to see the young people engaged in expressing their idealism through this movement.
We can't say 'never again' and then allow it to happen again. And as President of the United States, I don't intend to abandon people or turn a blind eye to slaughter."
Barack Obama Pictures of Darfur from David Johnson at Silent Images
Wolf: High Caliber Special Envoy Should Be Appointed to Sudan
Tuesday February 24, 2009
February 24, 2009 Contact: Dan Scandling (202) 225-5136
WOLF: HIGH CALIBER SPECIAL ENVOY SHOULD BE APPOINTED TO SUDAN Recommends Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist for Job
Washington, D.C. -- Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) today called on President Obama to appoint a "high caliber" envoy to Sudan to help bring peace and stability to the war-torn nation.
In a letter to the president, Wolf specifically recommended former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist for the job, noting that he has a passion for the people and future of Sudan.
"Even when he served in the Senate, Dr. Bill Frist continued his surgical practice, travelling to Africa yearly on medical missions, including to Sudan," Wolf wrote. "He boldly emerged as a leader in declaring what was happening in Sudan to be genocide, and co-authoring the bipartisan Sudan Peace Act."
Wolf, who is the co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and one of the leading advocates in Congress for human rights around the globe, has been to Sudan five times. He and Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) in 2004 were the first members of Congress to travel to Darfur and have been openly critical of the government of Sudan for its involvement in the ongoing genocide.
"I’ve witnessed the nightmare with my own eyes," Wolf wrote to Obama. "Every day that passes, more men are killed, more women are raped, and more children die of malnutrition. This is simply unacceptable. The time to act is now."
Below is the complete text of Wolf’s letter to the president.
The Honorable Barack H. Obama The President The White House Washington DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I commend you for your recent special envoy appointments of both Senator George Mitchell and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke. These distinguished diplomats are well-suited to focus their full attention on foreign policy priorities. I have long favored the envoy approach as an effective way to tackle seemingly intractable challenges.
There is perhaps no more daunting challenge than the quest for peace and stability in Sudan-a nation which has long been ravaged by war, genocide and bloodshed.
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which in 2005 brought about the end to a brutal 20-year war between the genocidal government in Khartoum and the South, was a monumental achievement and was in many respects the result of tireless diplomacy by former Senator John Danforth-then U.S. special envoy to Sudan. We can learn from this successful model.
I have written Secretary of State Clinton urging the appointment of a high-caliber special envoy to Sudan. Today I echo that call to you, with the specific request that the appointment be made in a high-profile event, which makes it clear to the world that the envoy has your ear and speaks with your authority. I ask that you appoint former Senate Majority leader Bill Frist as this special envoy.
Even when he served in the Senate, Dr. Bill Frist continued his surgical practice, travelling to Africa yearly on medical missions, including to Sudan. He boldly emerged as a leader in declaring what was happening in Sudan to be genocide, and co-authoring the bipartisan Sudan Peace Act. Senator Frist is truly passionate about the people and future of Sudan and in the tradition of former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell he is respected across the aisle. His efforts would undoubtedly be buoyed by the counsel of Theodore (Ted) Dagne, Roger Winter and John Prendergast - all capable, committed individuals whose expertise and extensive time spent in the region would make them invaluable advisers to any special envoy.
I have traveled to Sudan five times since 1989 and led the first congressional delegation to Darfur with Senator Sam Brownback. I've witnessed the nightmare with my own eyes. Every day that passes, more men are killed, more women are raped, and more children die of malnutrition. This is simply unacceptable. The time to act is now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This afternoon the following email was received from a Sudanese citizen, who is living in the USA currently. Many of his family members were murdered by the Sudanese-government-supported genocide activity.
Dear ALL,
Cell phones and satelite phones (Soraya) are vital tools in Darfur. The Government of Sudan has cut off services to cell phones in Darfur (in IDP camps in particular) to have news black-out, especially with the approaching March 4th (ICC announcement date). Why this is extremely crucial issue?:
1- Atrocities that happen in the camps and outside are reported by the civilians via their cell phones to the Darfuris in Diaspora, to news agencies, to Darfur radios (Europe and U.S.A.), to UNAMID. 2- Areal bombing raids are reported to the above mentioned entities, in addition, the natives alert other villagers in other locations downstream of the raid so that people can take cover or flea to hiding places ( life saving tool). 3- Via cell phones and the rapid reporting there was change of behavior noticed of UNAMID ( becoming more engaged to save lives), Government of Sudan (hard to deny attack news), Janjaweed (became more selective in targeting villages i.e. select remote villages where possibility of civilians having cell phones is little).
More violence is expected with ICC decision. It would be a disaster if this phone service black-out continues. Many lives might be lost unnecessarily.
Land phones also are mostly cut off these days in Darfur by the GoS.
* I'm calling to ask President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton and Ambassador Rice to protect innocent civilians in Darfur in the wake of Bashir's arrest warrant. Please issue immediate warnings to Bashir and the government of Sudan specifying consequences of attacks on civilians. Please also prepare an emergency response plan to address further violence and appoint a full-time senior level envoy. Lastly, please stand firm in support of the ICC indictment and veto any delay in the prosecution of Bashir.
I love my life. I love where I live. And I am passionate about my passions. I love to dance. Necessary to live: music, piano, singing, writing, acting, painting.
I have been fighting for and supporting the arts all my adult life. Since 2004, I have been working with other activists to end the Darfur genocide.
I have traveled to Europe many times since my early twenties. Places I have been: many USA states including Hawaii, Montreal, Canada, Barbados, France, Spain, Luxembourg, England, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Greece and Germany - and have wonderful memories.
My last trip was in May - June 2013 to Spain.
I would like to travel to Europe and Kyoto, Japan.
I love the southwest where I have visited Hopi, Navajo, Zia and San Idlefonso potters.
Life is exciting and I intend to live it full-out to the end.
B.S. and M.M., both in music
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Khartoum, Sudan Stop Genocide Time
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Spain Time
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Melbourne Time
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RAFA NADAL -BRING BACK LONG PANTS - SLEEVELESS TOPS
Double Click on Videos to Enlarge
Darfur - The Abandoned Genocide - a video by Sandra Hammel
Want to help? Call 1~800~GENOCIDE
"May I Suggest" by Susan Werner
Satchita - Playing for Change
Stand By Me ~ Playing for Change
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Genocide is not only a word,
it is crying of the whole human race.
There is nothing redeeming about being silent
when speaking up is the humane thing to do.
The honor and integrity of the human race is at stake.
