There is a week left before STANDFast: here is the essential toolkit with two brand new tools highlighted:

• Bring it to your Chapter: 
  • Download the STANDFast Essentials Podcast, where you can run through the essentials of STANDFast on your computer or iPod while running, driving, or taking a break from schoolwork.  (to be posted tomorrow!)
  • Learn background information about the conflict in Darfur and the rundown on how Civilian Protection works here
  • Learn background information about the conflict in Burma and the rundown on how Civilian Protection works here
  • Get the full run-down of Civilian Protection from GI-Net’s website.
• Bring it to your Campus:
  • For when you need to explain STANDFast in 15 seconds or less:  the STANDFast one-pager.
  • Did you know your region has a partner camp in Chad? STAND has paired up every region with a refugee camp for Darfuris in Chad, and encourages you to use this connection and the stories it brings with it to bring the camps to your campus.  
  • Give the big pictureand the breakdown on the Civilian Protection programs to your friends and classmates
  • It’s time to get your campus to STANDFast with you: here are some tips for fundraising and sources of funding,
  • Let your campus know they are part of a network of notable fastersand keep your chapter inspired with success stories
• Bring it to your Community:
  •  Bring the cause of Civilian Protecton outside the front doors of your school and out into the rest of the world: mobilize your community to protect vulnerable communities in Darfur and Burma
  • Get the word out through the press: take 10 easy steps to get the press you want and get your message across, through tried-and-true Op-Eds and Letters and new creative media like ads and video blogs.
• Bring it to Congress:
  • Use STANDFast as an opportunity to inform your elected officials of the need for civilian protection, and of the great work that your chapter is doing to fill the hole in civilian protection

Last Friday, we posted a blog entitled Actions Speak Louder than Words, taking a look at the Sudanese Government’s declaration of an "immediate, unconditional" ceasefire on November 15, two days beforehand. There was much skepticism from all sides about the declaration, as the Government of Sudan has consistently broken almost every ceasefire it has ever signed. On Friday, we wrote

"the Government of Sudan has by all means earned the skepticism with which the world looks at it, and as an international community we cannot by any stretch of the imagination afford to be naïve enough to take Bashir’s promises at face value… We cannot afford, and Darfuris cannot afford, to believe in ink on a paper before we see action on the ground."

The Government of Sudan once again justified the skepticism we spoke of in our last blog post. As the blog post was being written, attacks had already begun in Dafur. According to the Sudan Tribune,

"President Omer Al-Bashir’s announcement of a ceasefire on Wednesday was followed by two days of attacks on Friday and Saturday, according to rebel and UN sources.The army and air forces launched multiple attacks along different stretches of a main road into Chad, which Sudanese-backed forces invaded in each of the last three dry seasons, allegedly. Beginning on Friday morning, government Antonov planes bombed for several hours near a main road between Koribia and Um Mahareik, confirmed many rebel commanders"

The ceasefire had lasted approximately 72 hours.

The Sudanese Government denied the claims, saying that the Government had been bombing a set of bandits robbing a relief convoy, and that there was no ceasefire for Darfur "bandits".

The patterns have been painfully evident for a long time: the Sudanese Government has consistently violated agreement after agreement after agreement, often when the ink is still dry on the paper. The International Community encourages this behavior through the level of impunity we allow Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to have.

The saying goes: "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me…"The international community once again looks the fool, and Bashir once again walks away with impunity.

72 hours of silence in the midst of almost 6 years of conflict; we are not that hard of hearing. The international community can no longer claim it  ignorance, nor can we afford to play the part of the fools anymore.

This week: a false ceasefire in Darfur, a journalist jailed in Burma for her coverage of Cyclone Nargis, and the UN considers sending reinforcements to a struggling peacekeeping mission in the DR Congo.

Darfur:

Sudanese Government announced on Wednesday an immediate ceasefire in Darfur and called for a campaign to disarm the Janjaweed. It took this step based on recommendations from a conference it convened last week. However, Darfur rebels dismissed the announcement as a “PR exercise” and said they would continue to fight until a true ceasefire was signed.  The Sudanese Government thought that this move would persuade Western countries to postpone the potential indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.  The ceasefire lasted only 72 hours after rebels alleged that the Sudanese government attacked an area in northern Darfur. The United Nations is going to probe the accusations.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, said he would seek arrest warrants for Darfur rebels for the attacks on African Union Peacekeepers in 2007.

Meanwhile, another UNAMID patrol was ambushed this week, and a Nigerian peacekeeper was wounded.

This week Russia was noted to have sold Sudan several MiG-29 fighter jets.

Burma:

A female journalist in Burma has been jailed for 2 years for covering Cyclone victims.  Burma is continuing to tighten its grip over journalists and political activists and even poets in fears that the regime’s reputation will come under fire if they are allowed to be active.  This jailing is just one is a slew of dozens that have been happening recently in preparation for the 2010 elections the junta is planning. 

Michael Green has been chosen by President Bush to be the Special Envoy and Policy Chief for Burma.  Experts speculate on what kind of substantive response Mr. Green could have in terms of US policy toward Burma.  

Congo:

Fighting continued this week between Congolese government forces and Tutsi rebels led by General Laurent Nkunda. As Nkunda’s forces gain territory in North Kivu, they have reportedly begun a systematic campaign to kidnap and recruit young men and boys to join their fight.

After initial hesitation, the UN Security Council appears to be more seriously considering sending reinforcements to bolster MONUC, the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC, in light of recent violence. The European Union is continuing discussions about sending a humanitarian logistics mission to the area in the more immediate term.

This weekend, UN Special Envoy to DRC, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obsanjo, traveled to the area for emergency talks with President Kabila, General Laurent Nkunda, and the governments of Rwanda and Angola to discuss the current crisis.

According to Obsanjo, Nkunda has agreed to take part in UN-brokered peace talks in Nairobi.
 

A few days ago, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announced a unilateral ceasefire by government forces in Darfur.
The announcement came from a recommendation by a conference that was held last week to discuss prospects for peace in Darfur, at which there were no rebel groups in attendance. Bashir claims that his government made the move as part of a new push towards peace by the Sudanese Government and called for the rebels to rejoin peace negotiations; the rebels refute this and claim that the government has made this move to try and get President Omar al-Bashir off the hook for a possible indictment by the International Criminal Court. Sudanese officials had actually voices hopes that that the positions of Britain, France, and the US in regards to the ICC would change because of his announcement.
However, key international players such as France have come down on a different side, stating that the simple declaration of a ceasefire is not enough to make them consider blocking the ICC indictment: the situation must be changed on the ground. "What we expect from the Sudanese authorities is an immediate and radical change of attitude on several points … and this ceasefire declaration does not represent such a change," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier.
The rebels have strongly established that they have zero trust in the ceasefire, referencing the countless times that Omar al-Bashir has violated peace agreements before the ink has been dry on the papers on which they were written. JEM has called the announcement a “PR exercise” and vowed to continue to fight until a true ceasefire was established.
The question emerges: so what does this declaration really mean? On one level, it shows that the Government of Sudan is feeling the pressure being brought on by the International Criminal Court’s potential indictment, and other global pressure points. However, the Government of Sudan has by all means earned the skepticism with which the world looks at it, and as an international community we cannot by any stretch of the imagination afford to be naïve enough to take Bashir’s promises at face value. The pressure should at this point be increased at a time when the Sudanese Government is showing this vulnerability, not lessened because of a false sense of security. We cannot yet again be duped into turning our backs while more villages are burned and more Darfuris displaced – to do so reinforces the impunity with which the Sudanese Government has always operated. We cannot afford, and Darfuris cannot afford, to believe in ink on a paper before we see action on the ground.

This past weekend at STAND’s National Student Conference, many of you attended the “Introducing Congo” panel and heard from experts about the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC. Throughout the rest of the conference, and during the workshop on STAND’s evolution into a multi-conflict organization, I heard from many of you who were excited to learn more about the Congo and to discuss how STAND can and should engage.

Given events over the past two weeks, this is a particularly apt time to turn out attention to the conflict in DRC. Last week, ethnic Tutsi rebels led by General Laurent Nkunda launched a major offensive in the east of the country, threatening to take the provincial capital of Goma. This resurgence of violence has put tens of thousands of lives newly at risk and threatens to completely unravel an internationally-backed peace process and spark a return to regional war. The UN, the United States, Britain, France, and members of the South African Development Community (SADC) have all stepped in to try to restore stability, but the situation remains volatile.

Join STAND tonight at 9 pm EST to discuss the latest news from the region, the implications of the current situation, and any other questions, comments, or thoughts you have about Congo. Just call (269)-320-8300 and punch in the pincode 349902# when asked. We look forward to talking with you all soon!

-Nina McMurry, Congo Education Coordinator
 

Darfur

The rebel group Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rejected the Qatar peace talks expressed interest in bilateral peace talks with the Government of Sudan (GoS), which were rejected.

17 UNAMID Peacekeepers were ambushed this Sunday by unknown men, and one UNAMID officer was wounded.

There were new reports from UNAMID of two girls and several women being raped by men wearing military uniforms.  Meanwhile, there have been broader reports of a troop buildup by the Sudanese Army in all three Darfur states and a weapons buildup in the South.

The election of Barack Obama as the next US President has had a significant reaction inside Sudan: the Darfur rebels welcomed Obama’s election and expressed hope he would make ending the crisis in Darfur a priority, and the Government of South Sudan declared there would be an official holiday in his honor.

Meanwhile, in the United States, ENOUGH has released a paper calling for ending the crisis in Darfur to be a Day One priority, and outlining the steps the new administration must take to reach there. A Washington Times editorial offered a supporting opinion.

Burma

Hundreds of Karen villagers have fled their homes along Burma’s border with Thailand to escape fighting between troops of the rebel groups and the Burmese Government.

Moreover, 500 ethnic Karen in east Burma were displaced in October alone.

Congo

Congolese Tutsi rebels and government troops have clashed in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a few kilometres from a refugee camp. The fighting on Friday effectively ended a shaky ceasefire , caught UN peacekeepers in the crossfire, and forced thousands of civilians to flee.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is meeting with the presidents of the DRC, Joseph Kabila, and Rwanda, Paul Kagame, in hopes of reviving a peace deal. Mr. Ban called for a surge of 3,000 troops.

After a summit this weekend, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) called for a ceasefire in eastern DRC and for the UN to increase its presence in the area. Despite speculation to the contrary, Angola stated that it does not plan to intervene in DRC.

Rebel leader Laurent Nkunda said he would extend the war to the Congolese capitol unless the government agreed to negotiations with him.  

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A review and round-up of the most significant events to happen in Darfur and Sudan from January, 2008 until the present, November, 2008, as a refresher to everyone ready to start off a new era of activism with the newest Natoinal Student Conference in Washington DC and a new President and his Administration:

January 2008:

• The year starts off with grim prospects for UNAMID, which currently only has 9,000 uniformed personnel, only 7,000 of which are soldiers
• USAID staff member killed
• JEM has been on the move, trying to gain territory in South and West Darfur which has led to an increase in heavy fighting between Sudanese army and the rebels
• Sudan appoints Musa Hilal, a notorious Janjaweed leader , as his special advisor.

February, 2008

• Chadian rebels fighting to overthrow President Idriss Deby battled their way into the capital N’Djamena, Chad accused Sudan’s government of being behind the rebel offensive, which Sudan denied, and the countries broke off diplomatic ties.
• Sudan finally agreed to the operating rules behind the UNAMID peacekeeping force
• Intense fighting between JEM and Sudanese Army continued, with rebels claiming to have shot down a Sudanese army helicopter
• Food distribution has increasingly been threatened by banditry and armed attacks.
• Attacks on Darfuris villages continued, especially in West Darfur, leaving 20 dead in one incident.

March, 2008

• Fresh fighting has flared between Arab nomads and former southern rebels in an oil-rich town called Abyei, which is on the border between north and south Sudan
• Banditry continues to disrupt food aid.  Bandits have also begun attacking UNAMID peacekeepers.

April, 2008 

• Sudan’s first national census to have happened since 1993 has begun among much controversy. Internally displaced persons and refugees flood home to be counted, Darfuris showed opposition, asking how the census could be conducted when their people are living in camps and gone missing. The Government of Southern Sudan initially pulled out of the census process over frustrations, which was then resolved.
• The situation in Abyei escalates with the arrival of 200 heavily armed northern soldiers .
• Janjaweed attack north Darfur capitol of al-Fashir and three other North Darfur towns. And JEM’s advancements in West Darfur have led to more fighting between them and the government.
• The UN issued a new assessment saying that as many as 300,000 Darfuris have died as a result of the Darfur conflict

May, 2008

• An outbreak of violence in South Darfur causes 12,000 civilians to flee.  The Sudanese Government also increased air attacks on towns in north Darfur

• Heavy fighting broke out between JEM and the Sudanese army near Khartoum. This is the first time JEM has attacked outside of Darfur. A JEM spokesperson said its aim was to topple the Sudanese governmen.  Khartoum says that it successfully repulsed the attacks that it would no longer engage in peace talks with JEM and would respond militarily.
• In Khartoum, the Government of Sudan has cracked down on the civilian population and imposed an indefinite curfew as it searched for JEM rebel leaders and members that allegedly remain in the capitol. There remains a great amount of concern for the safety of people of Darfuri origin living in Khartoum. The crackdown in Khartoum continues and 14 civilians in North Darfur were killed by the Sudanese Army in retaliation for the JEM attacks. The crackdown was denounced by human rights groups.

• Thousands of civilians have fled clashes in Abyei, an oil-rich region that is disputed between North and South Sudan. The violence also forced the UN to pull its staff from Abyei. South Sudanese officials said Sudan was "on the brink of war" after heavy clashes this past week in the oil-rich region of Abyei, which has caused thousands to flee and aid to be stopped in the region until the UN geared up to bring emergency relief.
• Officials managed to agree to a truce and an end of build-up of troops, but the peace of Sudan as a whole remains threatened by the event.

June, 2008

• After a tense two weeks where Sudan was on the edge of civil war, the leaders of North and South Sudan agreed to let the international community settle their dispute.
• In the aftermath of the May 10 JEM attack on Khartoum, hundreds of people were rounded up in the capitol largely based on their ethnicity as Darfuris and Zaghawas and held in arbitrary detention, in inhumane conditions including torture and neglect, denied access to lawyers. Now 30-40 are being put on trial in special courts that have been denounced by the international community. Not only do these people in danger, but the others who have been detained solely based on their identity remain at risk
• The UN says that Darfur is facing a bleak year with a severe food crisis as a result of a "perfect storm" of increasing insecurity, poor harvest, global food shortages, and overcrowding in the refugee camps.

July, 2007

·        On the largest attack on Peacekeepers in Darfur in the history of the conflict, a convoy of UNAMID soldiers on patrol were ambushed by unidentified and heavily armed militia men mounted on truck and horseback. 7 died and dozens wounded. Although the rebels and the government traded accusations, UN officials have hinted at suspecting the Janjaweed.

·        The International Criminal Court’s chief Prosecutor, Louis Moreno-Ocampo, will seek an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for genocide and crimes against humanity. This has sparked an intense debate around the world about the question of peace versus justice: the GoS has warned of "disastrous" consequences for innocent civilians and humanitarian if the indictment goes through, leading to more violence, retaliation against peacekeepers, disrupting the peace process. However, this is a long-awaited victory for justice in Darfur, and has been welcomed by many, including Darfur rebels.

August, 2008

·        2 Darfur rebel groups accuse the Sudanese army of mounting new attacks in North Darfur

·        The Sudanese Army sent 100 trucks to Kalma camp, the largest camp for displaced Darfuris, killing 27 unarmed Darfuris and leaving scores wounded. The day after, Sudanese Armed Forces continued to surround Kalma camp and the highest most recently reported death toll is at 45.

·        There was more violence in South Darfur, where more than 50 Arab tribes people were killed in clashes over water and land. Efforts are underway to reconcile the two tribes.

·        The new UN top mediator for Darfur, Djibril Bassole, deploys today from London, where he met with the rebel group SLM-Unity.

September

• Attacks on aid workers continue in Darfur, which has caused the UN to warn that it will stop all emergency food delivery if security doesn’t improve. Food has already been cut so much that a riot broke out in a refugee camp over lack of food in which one woman was killed.

·        On Saturday, the Government of Sudan (GoS) attacked two rebel strongholds in Northern Darfur. The attack involved heavy fighting between the two sides, with many military dead and several civilian dead being reported. The GoS denies this, and the rebels claim that the GoS was trying to capture a lot of territory before peace talks start again, and it is after the oil in North Darfur.

·        : The Government of Sudan has launched a huge offensive into rebel territory in North , Central , and Southern Darfur, and stands accused of bombing rebel bases and civilians. The government has allegedly been bombing every day for a week, and even bombed the SLM-MM, the one rebel group that signed a peace deal with them. Thousands of vulnerable civilians are feared to have been displaced by the recent fighting.  The renewed fighting has severely restricted humanitarian access to displaced Darfuris, as many NGOs become victim to the insecurity.

October

• The security situation in Darfur deteriorated severely this week: militias attacked a Darfur village, an ambush on UNAMID killed a Nigerian peacekeeper. Meanwhile, UNAMID has been sent to guard Kalma camp amid fears of a new attack. Reports from Sudan that more than 100 rebels surrendered to the Sudanese army.   Fighting erupted this morning, leaving 11 dead. And former rebels alleged they would attack peacekeepers.
• Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir held a Darfur peace conference which was boycotted by all rebel parties, who dismissed it as a public relations trick.
• Meanwhile, a neighboring state to Darfur, Kordofan, is at risk of plunging into a Darfur-style conflict again, according to the International Crisis Group.

November

• Qatar is moving forward with a new effort towards peace talks. Darfur rebel group JEM is considering attending.
• A senior Chinese official said China has no plans to introduce a resolution to delay the indictment against Bashir.
• Meanwhile, a UNAMID convoy guarding a well was attacked, leaving one peacekeeper dead and one severely wounded. A UNAMID vehicle was also seized by two men wielding knices and guns in South Darfur.  

Weekly News Brief – October 27 – November 4, 2008

A weekly summary of the most important updates from the ground in Sudan, Burma, and Congo

In this issue: UNAMID peacekeeper killed in Darfur, strengthening relationships between Burma and China, surge of instability in Congo, and more… 

Sudan:

More than 100 Darfuris living in Europe demonstrated at the Hague in support of the move by the International Criminal Court to indict Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir. Meanwhile, a senior Chinese official said China has no plans to introduce a resolution to delay the indictment against Bashir.

Qatar is moving forward with a new effort towards peace talks. Darfur rebel group JEM is considering attending. Talks have also been taking place between Sudan and the Arab League and Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, a UNAMID convoy guarding a well was attacked, leaving one peacekeeper dead and one severely wounded. A UNAMID vehicle was also seized by two men wielding knices and guns in South Darfur.  

This week Nicholas Kristof wrote of another attack on a camp for displaced Darfuris.  

Burma:

9 prominent student activist, credited with carrying on the NLD movement in Aung San Suu Kyi’s stead, have been sentenced to 6 months in jail.

The International Coloured Gemstone Association has criticized the new US ban on imported gems from Burma, saying the effort was "misguided."  The ban, which comes into effect this week, closed an important loophole in the trade of Burmese gems, so that absolutely no gems from Burma will make it into US markets. 

The oil giant Chevron has removed pages from it’s website that make reference to the pipeline it operates with the Burmese military government.

3 top Burmese Generals met with the Vice Chief of Staff of the Chinese military, signaling greater cooperation between the two governments when UN officials are often denied access to Burmese leaders. 

Congo:

An incredible wave of violence has erupted in the Congo: ethnic Tutsi rebels led by General Laurent Nkunda launched a major offensive in the provincial capital of Goma. In the resulting chaos civilians became targets for both rebels and government forces, causing tens of thousands to flee the city. A tense ceasefire seems to be holding at the moment, but conflict threatens to erupt again at and any time and thousands of lives remain at risk.

The fighting has prompted world leaders and the international media to take notice of DRC in a way they haven’t for years. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called it, “a massacre such as Africa has never seen…taking place virtually before our eyes.”

Read STAND’s special analysis of the current crisis by Congo Education Coordinator Nina McMurry here. 

Working for peace on another continent may at times feel far away – but at times we are reminded how close to home this conflict really is.

The Sudan Hope Concert is one of those times that reminds us of that. Tomorrow, Saturday, November 1, young Sudanese musicians, performing artists, and poets living in the United States are coming together to perform with the hope of broadcasting their support for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and their concern for the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

Their description of their hope is below, straight from their website:

“For five decades, the people of Sudan have known nothing but war, famine, suffering and abject poverty. The last two to three generations of Sudanese have grown up in a hopeless and helpless environment. Over 2.5 millions people have died and hundreds of thousands have been separated from their families, deprived of basic health care, education, and most importantly peace and the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January of 2005 ushered in a new era of hope for peace and stability in Sudan. Today, we need to engage in peace initiatives and strategic efforts that will foster and instill hope in the next generation of young Sudanese.

Proceeds of the concert will be used establish the first of many Youth Development Centers (YDC) across Sudan. These YDCs will offer vocational training, community service, health care, the arts, and athletic development in a holistic approach to prepare young Sudanese men and women to be well rounded individuals who will play a transformative role in reshaping the future of Sudan.
The concert aslo serves as a springboard to mobilize young Sudanese living in the United States and around the world to engage in civic and social change efforts in Sudan and to proactively participate in reshaping and transforming Sudan into a better nation.

A brighter day is upon us. “

Whenever you feel far away from the situation in Sudan and things feel futile, think of the students your age who are Sudanese and are fighting for their friends, families, and fellow Sudanese on another continent. If they can keep up the fight, so can we.
 

We all know far too well the pattern of ethnic-driven destruction, underdevelopment, and polarization that has faced Darfur over the years – and unfortunately, this pattern is not unique to Darfur. There is a larger, overarching pattern of discrimination and destruction by the central Government of Sudan that has plagued many of Sudan’s diverse people.

The International Crisis Group has just released a report entitled: “Sudan’s Southern Kordofan Problem: the Next Darfur?”, which exposes this pattern in the region of Southern Kordofan.

Southern Kordofan is the large state that lies to the east of Darfur and to the north of South Sudan. The largest ethnic group is the Nuba, who are sedentary farmers of African origin. The second largest group are the Baggara, which are nomadic cattle herders of Arab origin, and include the Misseriya tribe in the west. According to the International Crisis Group, “Nuba populations have been subjected to displacement policies under the pretext of modernization, their land expropriated for national development projects and their culture targeted for homogenization”.

The Nuba people suffered greatly in the North-South Civil War, which lasted for decades, and remain scarred by the horrific ethnic-based abuses perpetrated against them. After the Civil War ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, however, the Nuba have continued to be marginalized by the Government of National Unity. The Nuba have been cut off from economic development and left out of power sharing. Moreover, ethnic tensions in the region have been exacerbated intentionally and unintentionally from all sides, and resource disputes combined with ethnic tensions have resulted in large clashes and many civilian deaths.

All of these things and more have put Southern Kordofan in a very volatile and unstable state, and if the local government, national government, and international community do not take significant steps soon, the world could see a renewal of the type of violence it is currently watching happen in Darfur. 

The International Crisis Group has made the following recommendations:
To the Government of Sudan: include marginalized people in the political system, give Southern Kordofan its share of oil revenue and funds, increase development in the region, and speed up the demobilization of ex-soldiers.

To the Government of Southern Kordofan: support inter-tribal dialogue between representatives of all tribes to achieve reconciliation and take peaceful steps forward
To the International Community: establish and support early warning conflict-prevention systems in the region, help with demobilization, and increase support for comprehensive development in the region.
The international community has an opportunity to act now to prevent another Darfur from unfolding before our eyes – let us take this opportunity before we have to say “never again” once again.
 

Read the full report here.