Darfur:
- Two Darfur rebel groups accuse the Sudanese army of mounting new attacks in North Darfur
- Egyptian and Ethiopian forces are set to deploy to Darfur, however UNAMID continues to face challenges.
- Sudan sentences 8 more to death for their alleged involvement in the May JEM attack on the capitol of Khartoum.
Sudan:
- There has been reports of Sudan misusing and selling food aid.
- Five suspects appeared in court over the murder of a US diplomat this past January.
- The World Food Programme reports that the regions affected by Cyclone Nargis are still in a state of emergency. The Canadian International Development Agency announced that it will spend and extra 11.6 million in relief to Burma.
- The UN’s new Human Rights Rapporteur for Burma. Tomas Ojea Quintana, expressed optimism after his first meeting with the officials in the military regime. He maintained that his chief interest was the fair treatment of political prisoners of which there are 2,000.
- As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the UN claims that the military government in Burma is stealing aid money through their countries below-market fixed exchange rate.
- Ibrahim Gmabari, UN envoy to Burma will make a 5 day visit to Burma starting in Rangoon on August 18th.
- Five Burmese activist were sentenced to two and a half years in prison for a silent protest in Taunggok to mark the anniversary of the 8-8-88 uprising.
- National League for Democracy party leaders in exile called on ASEAN) to reject the Constitutional Referendum voted on in May a week after Cyclone Nargis devastated the country.
Congo:
- The Indian army is investigating internal UN reports that its troops were responsible for sexual abuse while deployed as part of the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC, MONUC. Following the report, MONUC announced new measures to curb misbehavior by peacekeepers.
- Two battalions of Congolese military troops completed tactical and ethics training provided by MONUC this, as part of a program aimed at supporting the creation of a professional army. The Congolese army, known as FARDC, is blamed for widespread, but mostly unorganized and opportunistic atrocities against civilians.
- This week, FARDC leadership also announced the launch of a campaign to crack down on rape and human rights abuses committed by its troops.