Winter Break Education Update II

Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, DRC

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Syria

Tens of thousands of Syrians turned out on to protest on December 30th in defiance of a government ban on demonstrations.  The marches, held in cities throughout the country, aimed both at drawing the attention of Arab League observers, as well as placing continued pressure on the Syrian government of Bashar Al-Assad. However, despite the presence of Arab League observers in Syrian cities, the government’s crackdown on protestors and opposition figures has continued with NYT reporting through Syrian activists that at least twocivilians were killed in the city of Hama on Tuesday, with BBC News reporting another 12 dead on Wednesday.

Syrian opposition figures have called into question the efficacy of the League’s mission in Syria as well as the Syrian regime’s sincerity in pursuing an end to the crackdown.Reuters reported Wednesday that despite Arab League statements that troops hadbeen withdrawn from residential districts, that the regime in fact retains troops and armored vehicles within Syrian cities in defiance of the Leagueagreement. In addition, an estimated 30,000 opposition figures and protestors remain jailed in Syrian prisons despite the release of some 3,500 according to the Arab League since the arrival of League observers.  

Due to the continuation of violence despite the presence of League observers, the head of the Arab Parliament, Ali Salem al-Deqbasi, released a statement on the 1^st of January calling for the withdrawal of observers from Syria, saying ““The mission of the Arab League team has missed its aim of stopping the killing of children and ensuring the withdrawal of troops from the Syrian streets, giving the Syrian regime a cover to commit inhumane acts under the noses of the Arab League observers.”

The background of the head of the Arab League’s mission in Syria has also drawn criticism from human rights groups and some opposition figures.  Lt. Gen. Muhammad Ahmed al-Dabi, who heads the Arab Leagues mission in Syria, previously headed the Sudanese Military Intelligence Service and served in a wide array of other military and security posts in the Sudanese government under President Omar Al-Bashir.  However, the Arab League’s director responded to criticisms, saying of the general that he is a “capable military man with a clean reputation.

Sudan and South Sudan

At least 24 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in a tribal clash involving Lou Nuer and Murle ethnic communities in Jonglei state. The Government of South Sudan (GoSS) on Tuesday said it has deployed more than 1,000 police personnel to Jonglei. The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) also said it was conducting air patrols in the affected areas. Up to 50,000 people have fled violence in the area according to the United Nations. 

The Sudanese Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Mohamed Hussien claimed that Darfur rebel leader, Khalil Ibrahim, was killed in an air excursion made possible by the tracking of a phone call. The United States special envoy for Sudan Princeton Lyman and his senior Adviser for Darfur Dane Smith offered their condolences to the Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on the death of its leader Khalil Ibrahim.

The British government intends to forgive more than $ 1 billion in debt owed by Sudan over the next few years. Officials at the UK Department for International Development told the Financial Times that cancelling the debt of countries such as Sudan would be counted as part of the target to spend 0.7% of national income on foreign aid by 2014.

South Sudan’s Vice President, Riek Machar, attempted to stop further conflict in Jonglei state by visiting the affected areas. 

At least seventeen people, mostly civilians, have been killed in South Sudan’s Western Bahr el Ghazal State, following an aerial attack allegedly carried out by north Sudan. Several others are also said to have sustained injuries.

The African Union and United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said Sudanese government restricted the movement of its patrols due the recent surge of clashes in the region.

The president of South Sudan Salva Kiir accused the Sudanese government of stealing his country’s oil in a new sign of escalation of fighting. The Sudanese foreign ministry confirmed that a portion of oil pumped by South Sudan passing through the north’s pipelines is seized by Khartoum, but stressed that this is done with Juba’s knowledge. Sudan also announced that it will impose monthly fees on crude oil flowing from the newly-independent south until the two nations reach an agreement on transport payments.

South Sudan accused north Sudan of supplying arms to tribes in volatile Jonglei state, allegedly to destabilize the new country. 

The United Nations has received alarming reports of malnutrition in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile where the army is fighting insurgents, a senior U.N. official reported.

DRC 

Despite allegations of massive fraud in the election process and growing accounts of political violence in the country, President Joseph Kabila was sworn in for a second term last week to little international outrage, at least by governments. The U.S. State Department issued a statement expressing deep disappointment when the DRC’s Supreme Court upheld results from November’s election without fully evaluating irregularities. The same expression of "deep disappointment" is being used by activists and analysts who say the Obama administration is not going far enough in condemning the new mandate of President Joseph Kabila, as protests continue both in the US and around the world.

However the US has announced that it will send electoral experts to the country early this month to advise on the parliamentary vote count, which was halted last week. "USAID is discussing the provision of elections experts with several well-regarded organizations and expects that a team will arrive in Kinshasa during the first week of January," the official said.

The US government also announced they are committing $900 billion to peacekeeping, humanitarian aid and development efforts in the region. 

Authorities in the DRC shut down broadcasts of the French government-funded Radio France International over its coverage of the violent aftermath of the November elections. During the run-up to the elections there was an outbreak of anti-press violence, where multiple media outlets sympathetic to opposition leader Tshisekedi were victims to arson. Following the flawed November elections, RFI covered the widespread violence, voting irregularities and government crackdown on opposition supporters. As the most popular news station in the DRC, this crackdown represents the loss of a vital source of news for Congolese citizens. The NGO Journalistes En Danger denounced the “escalation of repression” in the media through the publication of their annual report on assaults on the freedom of the press in the country. JED calculated over 160 cases, over half of which occurred in the electoral period. 

The UN Group of Experts announced in a report last Friday that former rebels have been promoted to senior posts in the DRC’s military in return for supporting President Kabila in his re-election efforts. The 127-page report argued that despite the fact that Bosco Ntaganda is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, he managed to secure senior posts for himself and his men for supporting Kabila. 

The same report also argued that the crackdown on conflict minerals in eastern Congo has “pushed trade deeper into the hands of criminals and smugglers”. Due to the lack of finalization on the SEC conflict mineral regulations, companies have left the region rather than waiting for the fine print. According to Gregory Salter, a consultant for the UN report, “This has mainly led to a loss of production and increased criminality” in the region. The report also said that decreased trade in the region has increased smuggling into Rwanda. "The level of recorded domestic production of tin, tungsten and tantalum ores (in Rwanda) continues to be higher than industry analysts consider the real level of production to be… suggesting that material from the DRC is being smuggled into Rwanda, and then tagged as of Rwandan origin," the report said. 

In the worst attack in months, at least 26 people have been killed by Rwandan FDLR rebels in eastern Congo since the beginning of the year. The FDLR is the largest rebel group left in eastern Congo and has been responsible for widespread atrocities including murder and mass rapes. It was reported that the FDLR attacked remote villages in Shabunda (South Kivu province) where they burned huts and attacked civilians. 

The New York Times reported on the increasingly common practice in Kinshasa of “power cuts”, where family members take turns eating every other day. This survival strategy is being employed by over 10 million people in the capital city, and the term “power cut” (or délestage in French) is meant to evoke the rolling blackouts that characterize city life. One Congolese resident explained, “Délestage. That means: ‘Today we eat. Tomorrow we don’t.’ The Congolese, in the spirit of irony, have adopted this term.” According to experts, half the population eats once per day and a quarter eats once every two days. In a country where over half the population is considered malnourished and the government spends less than 1% of the national budget on agriculture, this situation is extremely alarming and urgent. 

The education update is produced every Thursday to update STAND members and the advocacy community about developments with regards to genocide and crimes against humanity.  For more information contact the following:

Education Coordinator: Sean Langberg education@standnow.org 

Sudan Education Coordiator: Emma Smith esmith@standnow.org

DRC Education Coordinator: Siobhan Kelly skelley@standnow.org

Emerging Crises Education Coordinator: Tom Dolzall tdolzall@standnow.org  

 Weekly Education Update

12/9-12/15

DRC, Sudan, South Sudan

Don’t forget to sign STAND’s new petition on change.org to end the SMS text-messaging ban in Congo here!

DRC

Official results of the Congolese elections gave incumbent President Joseph Kabila 49% of the vote, followed by 32% for opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi and 7.7% for Vital Kamerhe. Voter turnout was 58% countrywide. 

However the results have been highly criticized by numerous election monitors, including the Carter Center as well as the European Union and the United States. The US ambassador to the country, James Entwistle, cited irregularities and a lack of transparency in the process. “The United States believes that the management and technical execution of these elections were seriously flawed,” he said yesterday. The US and other Western donors have already offered technical assistance to the country to identify and analyze voting irregularities.

The Carter Center released a highly anticipated report on the Congolese election process on December 10^th, concluding that the presidential elections “lack credibility”. The Carter Center had 26 teams of observers monitoring in the country, and found discrepancies between provinces ranging from proper procedure to serious irregularities. Irregularities include the loss of the results from over 2,000 polling stations in Kinshasa (representing as many as 350,000 voters) and another 1,000 polling stations across the country (representing 500,000 voters) as well as impossibly high voter turnout. “Based on the detailed results released by CENI, it is also evident that multiple locations, notably several Katanga province constituencies, reported impossibly high rates of 99 to 100 percent voter turnout with all, or nearly all, votes going to incumbent president Joseph Kabila”. 

The Catholic Church has also spoken out against the elections and now publicly supports the Carter Center’s findings. The Catholic Church is arguable one of Congo’s most influential institutions, and even deployed 30,000 election observers around the country. The Archbishop of Kinshasa, Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo, told the press that CENI’s results conformed “with neither truth nor justice” saying that “these observations pose a serious credibility problem for the election”. 

In the face of the onslaught of criticism from the global community and Congolese diaspora, the government has released their own report on the elections. 

While President Kabila has conceded that some problems did arise during the electoral process, he is adamant that the results were credible. In a news conference three days after the Carter Center’s findings were published, he reacted saying that “the credibility of these elections cannot be put into doubt.” 

In contrast, Tshisekedi immediately rejected the results as fraudulent and has declared himself the true President due to popular support in the country. He has called for protests across the country to “protect” his presidential victory. The opposition has until the 17^th to contest the results formally in the Supreme Court or Kabila will be confirmed as the official winner. However this will be difficult, as the opposition has little faith in the court due to a large number of judges who were appointed in the run-up to the elections who are sympathetic to Kabila. 

The government has reacted swiftly to crack down on opposition supporters throughout the country, using anti-riot policemen and the elite presidential guard to suppress dissent in the capital city of Kinshasa. Several people have been killed in clashes between state security and protesters and an undisclosed number of young men have been abducted from their homes. People living in Kinshasa are apparently afraid to leave their homes, as the crackdown intensifies and the ban on SMS text-messaging has continued. 

For a recap of all the international reactions to the Congolese elections, check out Free Fair DRC’s new report here.

Sudan and South Sudan

Salva Kiir promised prospective investors that his government is determined to take all measures that would improve good governance. He stressed that “as part of strengthening governance we shall also ensure that the environment is safe and secure for development and investment to take place”. South Sudan is being introduced both to aid organizations and to private companies, seeking to jump start the economy and open up new opportunities, particularly in the oil and agriculture sectors at an international conference hosted by the United States.

Child labour is an increasing in South Sudan according to Ministry of Gender and Child Welfare in Unity state due to displacement from conflict and as their parents are not able to provide for them. Unity state government officials say the increase in street children and child labour is due to insecurity caused by the rebel South Sudan Libertation Army (SSLA), which has recently attacked Mayom, Rubkotna and Abiemhnom counties causing displacement.

South Sudan’s chief negotiator Pagan Amum on Tuesday (December 13^th) said that his country reached an agreement with its northern neighbor on the oil transit fees after months of intense negotiations. Other countries, including China, had been pressuring  Sudan and South Sudan to resolve the oil question peacefully. 

Rebels fighting the Sudanese government in South Kordofan State have reported fresh clashes in which 19 people were killed on Saturday (December 10^th) as Sudan’s army claimed it choked rebels’ supplies of arms.

A senior United Nations official warned that Sudan and South Sudan could go to war over the disputes related to the secession of the south and military conflicts on the border region. “The situation in Sudan and South Sudan is at a difficult juncture, with a very low trust between the countries, heightened rhetoric, and mutual accusations,” said United Nations Peacekeeping chief Hervé Ladsous at a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing.

About 417,000 people have been displaced in Sudan’s border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile as a result of ongoing fighting between the army and insurgents, according to the United Nations. Fighting broke out between Sudan’s army and SPLM-North rebels in June in South Kordofan which borders newly-independent South Sudan. Violence spread to the neighboring northern border state of Blue Nile in September.

The education update is produced every Thursday to update STAND members and the advocacy community about developments with regards to genocide and crimes against humanity.  For more information contact the following:

Education Coordinator: Sean Langberg education@standnow.org 

Sudan Education Coordiator: Emma Smith esmith@standnow.org

DRC Education Coordinator: Siobhan Kelly skelley@standnow.org

Emerging Crises Education Coordinator: Tom Dolzall tdolzall@standnow.org  

 United States Technology Used in Syrian Crackdown

The Crackdown and Sanctions

Since March of 2011, the United Nations estimates that over 4,000 Syrian civilians have been killed in the uprising against the government of Bashar Al-Assad. One reason for the regime’s longevity is a vast security apparatus, namely the Syrian Political and General Security Directorates. During the crackdown, Syrian security forces have been implicated in the arbitrary execution, arrest, torture and sexual assault of Syrian civilians suspected of dissension.  

Recent reports by Bloomberg News and the Senators Mark Kirk (R-Illinois) and Robert Casey (D-Pennsylvania), indicate that the American technology companies Hewlett-Packard, NetApp, and Blue Coat systems may have bolstered the Syrian security apparatus by selling computers and Internet surveillance technology to organizations connected with the Syrian regime.  While company sales to the Syrian regime do not technically violate US sanctions, they do violate the intention of the sanctions and represent a disappointing lack of caution and corporate responsibility on behalf of the American companies.

Illegal Sale of Technology

Hewlett-Packard, NetApp and Blue Coat systems are American technology companies based in California. NetApp and Blue Coat Systems specialize in data management and information security respectively, while HP is a major multinational which produces both hardware and software.  Since 2001, NetApp has also received over  $100 million in US government contracts working with the Department of State.  

News reports indicate nearly $500,000 of computers and server systems have been indirectly sold to Syrian security agencies.  The software of NetApp and Blue Coat Systems are used to monitor and censor Syrian internet access and personal communications over email and instant messaging. The companies responded that they wish to comply with all US restrictions and their products were illegally sold through other actors without their consent.  The European companies Area, Qosmos, and Utimaco have also been implicated in technology sales to the Syrian government.

Urgent Action Needed

• Calls, letters (POPVOX), and emails to representatives urging them to co-sponsor the Syria Sanctions Act of 2011
• Education of chapters and other advocates about the Syrian crackdown and the role US technology is playing
• Distribution of this one pager as well as other Syria conflict information 

Contact Tom Dolzall at tdolzall@standnow.org or Sean Langberg at education@standnow.org for more info

 Weekly Education Update 12/2-12/8

Syria, DRC, Sudan & South Sudan

Be sure to sign our petition to restore SMS text-messaging in the DRC for post-election communication. http://goo.gl/lUVGM

Syria

Al-Jazeera reported Tuesday that nearly 80 people have been killed in the city of Homs in instances of sectarian violence which have rapidly escalated since Sunday.  The violence is the result of the formation of armed gangs and militias, with the majority of killings being attributed to pro-government militias and paramilitaries known as “Shabiba”. However, there are also reports of killings undertaken by militias aligned with the opposition. Al-Jazeera and sources on the ground report that these groups have conducted strings of kidnappings and murders over the weekend and are continuing into the present.NYT also reported Tuesday from opposition sources that a series of sanctioned kidnappings had been undertaken bySyrian security forces and pro-government groups in Homs, their bodies being dumped into the city streets during nightfall. In addition, armed clashes between defectors and security forces, as well as continued raids, arrests and killings by government forces have continued throughout the week. The UK based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights called this week “one of the deadliest days since the start of the Syrian Revolution.” The United Nations presently places the total death toll in the Syrian unrest at an estimated 4,000 dead, and the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, said Tuesday that the crackdown by the Syrian government, “if not stopped now, can drive the country into a full-fledged civil war.”

On Monday the Syrian foreign Minister, Walid al-Moallem. stated that the regime would allow for the entrance of Arab Lague observers into Syria in an effort to stem the ongoing violence, but that allowance would hinge on the acceptance of certain conditions; namely the cancellation of the Arab League’s yet to be implemented sanction measures. However, broad skepticism remains on the part of the League and opposition figures about the sincerity of the Syrian government’s negotiations in light of the regime’s previous failures to adhere with agreements and deadlines set by the Arab League.

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton met with Syrian oppositionfigures of the Syrian National Council in Geneva on Tuesday.Clinton spoke with the Council about the future of Syria, saying, "A democratic transition includes more than removing the Assad regime…it means setting Syria on the path of the rule of law and protecting the universal rights of all citizens regardless of sect or ethnicity or gender.” In addition, it was announced Tuesday that US Ambassador

Robert Ford, who had previously left the country after threats to his safety, will return to Syria despite the opposition of figures in the Syrian government. Vice President Joseph Biden met on the 2^nd of December with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, to discuss regional issues as well as the US and Turkish response to the Syrian crisis. NYT quoted Biden as saying, “Are the sanctions sufficient to fundamentally alter their behavior? The jury is still out on that” but stated that such sanctions have successfully “constrained the field on which they operate, it has reduced their influence in the region, and it has, at a minimum, apparently, caused significant discussion internally.”

In response to the imposition of sanctions by Turkey earlier in the month the Syrian government instituted a “tariff of 30 percent on its imports and prohibitive duties on fuel and freight.” In addition, the Syrian military conducted large scale wargames on Monday before an audience including much of the Syrian high command, aiming to demonstrate the strength of the Syrian state and military as internal unrest and international pressure mounts on the regime.

DRC 

Though the legal deadline for the release of election results was Tuesday, CENI announced they would delay the announcement by two days. This was extremely problematic, as President Kabila’s constitutional term officially expired on Tuesday at midnight. The announcement of the delay was accompanied by fears of renewed violence and instability.

The announcement of the delay of results also led to increased concerns and fears over the return to war in the country. As the Guardian reported, “Banks are closing, hotels emptying and people with suitcases clambering aboard boats. Lorries carrying riot police patrol the streets while the government has blocked text message communications. Kinshasa increasingly resembles a city on the eve of war.”

According to Human Rights Watch, 18 people have died in election-related violence thus far. In response to post-election violence as well as fears of renewed violence, 3,000 Congolese have fled the country and taken refuge in neighboring capital of Brazzaville.

The election commissioner announced yesterday that 89.29% of the votes have been counted in the country. Though they have delayed the announcement of the winner until Thursday or Friday, it becomes clear from their analysis that Tshisekedi cannot win. However, this is only true if their numbers are correct. According to analyst Jason Stearns, it is predicated that Kabila has 8,353,573 votes and Tshisekedi has 5,927,528 votes with around two million votes unaccounted for. Due to Kabila’s elimination of a second round of voting in January, the election is now a winner-take-all system which will most likely favor Kabila.

Last week, the UN Security Council had a closed door session on the elections in the Congo. The Security Council is said to be deeply divided on the issue; while some western powers have expressed concern over the legitimacy of the elections, Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa remain firmly on the side of the Congolese government. However, despite fears of fraud, the Security Council remains unconvinced that it is “systematic” or “large-scale”. Due to this, as well as a reluctance to take on a large role in the elections this late in the game, the Security Council vowed to limit UN involvement but expressed fears for violence when the results are finally announced.

 In the days immediately following the election, the Congolese government instituted a country-wide ban on SMS text-messaging services. The major telecommunications companies in the country, including Vodacom, Bharti Airtel, Millicom, and CCT, have listened to the government’s concerns over threats of violence and complied with the ban. While the government does have the responsibility to respond to any threats by opposition groups to incite violence, SMS text-messaging also limits an essential source of information on instances of post-election violence and human rights abuses. STAND and other human rights organizations have called upon the major telecommunication companies to restore SMS text-messaging services in the region. Sign the petition here.

Due to the fact that the Congolese diaspora overwhelmingly support Tshisekedi, there have been demonstrations around the world this week citing fraud and discrepancies in the election process. Protests have occurred in the United States, Belgium, and African cities including Cape Town, South Africa, however they turned extremely violent in Ottawa, Canada. In Ottawa, the protests began yesterday at the CBS headquarters to highlight the lack of media coverage in the country and then moved on to the US Embassy and Embassy of the DRC. When protesters attempted to enter the embassy and were restrained by police, they responded with throwing rocks. Three people were arrested and the police used pepper spray against the protesters. Watch a video of the protests here.

After years of grassroots activism and the work of organizations like The Dear Hillary Campaign for the Congo and the Enough Project, the US has finally named a Great Lakes Special Envoy. Ambassador R. Barrie Walkley is a life-long diplomat with the US State Department, and his most recent post was as consul general in Juba, South Sudan. He began his career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Somali in 1967, and since becoming a member of the foreign service he has served in posts in Cameroon, Pakistan, South Africa and Washington DC. From 1999 to 2001, he also served as the deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Kinshasa. His appointment represents the Great Lakes region officially becoming a priority in the State Department.

Sudan & South Sudan

The Sudanese army on Wednesday, 7 December repelled an attack by South Sudanese troops in a contested area on the border between the two countries, a military spokesperson said in Khartoum and Juba confirmed the fighting. Both countries said they would bring complaints against the other to the United Nations, moves likely to hinder already tense talks over issues such as oil and debt that have been unresolved. 

A human rights activist and children are amongst those whose death sentences have been upheld by Sudanese authorities, according to an Amnesty International (AI) petitions calling for their punishments to be commuted.

The Chinese government announced that it is sending its special envoy to the region for talks in Khartoum and Juba on the deadlock regarding oil.

The World Health Organization (WHO) will soon begin construction of a maternity wards in Jonglei Bor civil hospital in South Sudan.

At least 40 people are dead and 30 injured following an attack on Monday on Akot village, Jonglei state. The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said it will send a military unit to the area to deter future attacks amongst speculation that recent disarmament programs carried out by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and police in the region have made communities vulnerable to attack.

New waves of refugees are fleeing the war torn region of Blue Nile to South Sudan as the government army intensified air raids on the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North. The Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP) put out satellite images captured between 11 and 27 November in the Blue Nile state indicating that Sudanese warplanes attacked some villages there. The group accused the government army of intentionally razing civilian structures in the area. 

The education update is produced every Thursday to update STAND members and the advocacy community about developments with regards to genocide and crimes against humanity.  For more information contact the following:

Education Coordinator: Sean Langberg education@standnow.org 

Sudan Education Coordiator: Emma Smith esmith@standnow.org

DRC Education Coordinator: Siobhan Kelly skelley@standnow.org

Emerging Crises Education Coordinator: Tom Dolzall tdolzall@standnow.org  

 Weekly Education Update

11/24-12/1

DRC, Sudan, South Sudan

DRC 

Although many observers questioned whether or not the country would be prepared for elections, they occurred on Monday, Tuesday and into Wednesday this week. However, problems with voting infrastructure and allegations of fraud plagued the process. Thousands of registered voters were missing from electoral rolls, polling stations lacked the adequate number of ballots or even ballots at all, and there was general confusion about where to vote in general. Allegations of fraud included pre-ticket ballots, pre-stuffed ballots and complications with ballots continually being flown into the country still today.

Perceptions of fraud led to violence in Kananga, a stronghold of opposition leader Tshisekedi, and in Lubumbashi, where armed men attacked a polling station and burned election materials. 

Despite these problems, the election has been met with both positive and negative responses both in the DRC and abroad. While five electoral observer groups hailed the elections as a ‘success’, others have questioned the legitimacy of the elections, including Presidential candidates, Congolese diaspora members and non-governmental organizations working in the region. 

Given the widespread irregularities in the electoral process, the results have already been called into question far before CENI (national electoral commission) is prepared to announce them. Four presidential candidates – Kamerhe, Kengo, Mbusa and Bombale – have already spoken out against the legitimacy of the results, while both Tshisekedi and Kabila have said they will respect the results. Analyst Jason Stearns says this is because both candidates believe they have a strong chance for victory; however what the response will be when the winner is finally announced is unclear. 

Though there is widespread debate over who won the election, it is extremely difficult to say at this time though analysts are confident it will come down to a contest between Tshisekedi and Kabila. However in either case, there is a threat of violence. 

The international community also reflects divisions in Congolese society, as support for either the opposition candidate or the incumbent varies. Laura Seay, professor and blogger wrote “Leaders in the Great Lakes region have reason to prefer a Kabila victory as well. Most important among them is Rwandan President Paul Kagame, with whom Kabila privately reached a rapprochement in 2009 that led to increased stability in the eastern Kivu provinces.” She also notes that in contrast, within the Congolese diaspora there is widespread support for Tshisekedi. 

Though the voting has officially ended, the logistical challenges continue. Tallying the vote will prove to be extremely difficult and questions over transparency have already been raised. The facts that the ballots totaled 56 pages and there were over 60,000 polling locations wills not make this an easy task. 

Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka, head of the Mai Mai and currently a candidate for parliamentary office despite an arrest warrant, has been added to a list of individuals on a travel ban and assets freeze by France, Britain and the United States. The UN also sanctioned the war criminal. 

The United Nations Refugee Agency, as part of their 16 Days of Activism, releases a statement on the effects of rape on spouses and families in the DRC.

South Sudan, Sudan

Salva Kiir Mayardit, president of the Republic of South Sudan and leader of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), has warned against violence and called for religious cooperation with the state in an address broadcast on South Sudan television.

A special court sentenced to death by hanging seven rebel members of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), who are accused of attacking a commercial convoy last year.

A Kenyan court has issued an arrest warrant for Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir over alleged war crimes in Darfur. Sudan has ordered the expulsion of the Kenyan ambassador after the announcement of the arrest warrant. 

The African Union imposed a formal ban on the Ugandan rebel group—the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)—officially designating the notorious group a terrorist organization.

The South Sudan government reacted negatively to reports that Sudan plans to take 23% of the new country’s oil exports, saying it will consider suspending oil production if north Sudan continues to impose high transportation and refinery cost

The education update is produced every Thursday to update STAND members and the advocacy community about developments with regards to genocide and crimes against humanity.  For more information contact the following:

Education Coordinator: Sean Langberg education@standnow.org 

Sudan Education Coordiator: Emma Smith esmith@standnow.org

DRC Education Coordinator: Siobhan Kelly skelley@standnow.org

Emerging Crises Education Coordinator: Tom Dolzall tdolzall@standnow.org 

 Hello Genprev Activists!  

 Sean Langberg-Education Coordinator (education@standnow.org)

  Weekly Education and Advocacy Update

11/11-11/17

International Funding, Sudan Letter, Sudan, DRC, Libya

International Affairs Funding

The State and Foreign Operations (international affairs) Budget (S. 1601) has been further delayed. Though a decision was expected this week, it now may not happen until later in the year. Disagreements are a large cause of the delay, including objections to the unanimous consent agreement to proceed to debate on the bill from Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), David Vitter (R-LA), and others.

In a letter organized by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, five former Secretaries of State (Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, George Shultz and Henry Kissinger) called on Congress to support the International Affairs Budget, warning that “now is not the time for America to retreat from the world.”  As it stands now, international affairs funding is at risk for deep and disproportionate cuts.

Genocide Prevention Sign-On Letter

Last week, Senators Coons and Collins began circulating a letter around the Senate addressed to President Obama on genocide prevention.  This letter, which closed for signatures today, urges the administration to develop the necessary tools to successfully avert mass atrocities and prevent the conditions that can lead to violence against innocent civilians.  The letter also reiterates the principles of S. Con. Res. 71, which passed unanimously in the 111th Congress urging the administration to conduct an interagency review to evaluating existing capacities for anticipating, preventing, and responding to genocide and other mass atrocities.  The following Senators signed on to this letter, as of 11:20am on the morning of November 17th:

1. Coons [D-DE]
2. Collins [R-ME]
3. Wyden [D-OR]
4. Casey [D-PA]
5. Murray [D-WA]
6. Bennet [D-CO]
7. Udall [D-NM]
8. Cardin [D-MD]
9. Feinstein [D-CA]
10. Durbin [D-IL]
11. Lieberman [I-CT]
12. Menendez [D-NJ]
13. Lautenberg [D-NJ]
14. Murkowski [R-AK]
15. Levin [D-MI]
16. Merkley [D-OR]
17. Snowe [R-ME]

National Call-In Day for Syria

Today, STAND members and supporters across the country called their Senate offices to urge their Senators to support the Syria Sanctions Act of 2011 (S. 1472).  This legislation aims to implement penalties in the US for all companies engaging with Syria’s petroleum sector.  To add your voice to those who called their Senators today, please call 1-800-GENOCIDE or sign up to talk with your Senator in person at an in-district lobby meeting.

Sudan

South Sudan’s army released 53 children from its barracks in Unity state on November 15th, following a forced recruitment earlier this year to help fight a rebellion. Child soldiers were used throughout the North/South civil war as well.

The British humanitarian agency Oxfam pulled its staff from South Sudan’s border region. It issued a statement that said, “New bombing raids and a buildup of troops along the border of Sudan and South Sudan over the past few days threaten to escalate what is already a significant humanitarian crisis in the newest country in the world.” 

Civilians fled as bombs fell on a camp for displaced people in South Sudan, and President Salva Kiir accused the Sudanese government of planning to invade his newly independent nation. Senior United Nations officials sided with South Sudan in accusing Sudan of bombing a southern civilian encampment the day before. One United Nations official called for an investigation, suggesting that a war crime might have been committed. There have been calls for a no-fly zone. 

The Sudanese government downplayed reports that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will soon file a new case with the judges against defense minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein. They maintain that is not Darfur related. 

The African Union (AU) on November 16ht  expressed deep concerns over escalating tension along the north-south Sudan border, the world’s newest international boundary.

DRC

Who will win the presidential elections in Congo? While analysts were quick to say Kabila, especially due to the fact that this election will be one-round only, however the results are still shrouded in uncertainty. Jason Stearnspointed out that the elections will be far more local this time, with some of the factors (such as East vs. West and anti-RCD vs. anti-Kabila) not impacting this round as much as the 2006 elections. While Etienne Tshisekedi has proved to be a viable candidate, it is still uncertain whether or not the change that some voters want to see is represented by any of the opposition party’s platforms. 

Stearns also predicted a breakdown of the votes per region, with Kinshasa serving as the hub of opposition and Tshisekedi stronghold, while Katanga as Kabila’s home region is predicted to overwhelmingly support the incumbent. Other regions are more split, which shows that overall this should be a tight race between Kabila and Tshisekedi. Last minute endorsements or an opposition coalition could prove to be the deciding factor. 

While violence has been reported in Kinshasa for months, other regions are now feeling the tensions surrounding the upcoming elections. Last week the popular singer Fabrice Mumpfiritsa was kidnapped by armed men from his recording studio on Goma. While he had previously supported Kabila, he recently began singing in praise of the opposition right before his disappearance. He was found by Monday in Goma, with the bruises of political violence. 

In the wake of the controversy surrounding Tshisekedi’s visit to South Africa, the country has just signed a major hydropower agreement with the Congo. The agreement plans to revive the Grand Inga Dam on the Congo River. South African President Jacob Zuma will visit the country on November 12^th to sign a memorandum of understanding with President Kabila. 

After the UN announced it documented 188 election violations linked to the electoral process, the State Department called on all political parties to abstain from the use of violence in the upcoming weeks. 

Charities in the United Kingdom are calling for Britain’s Privy Council, a body that advises the head of state, to block Peter Grossman’s so-called vulture fund from taking $100 million from the Congo. Grossman’s vulture fund buys up the debts of developing nations cheaply than sues them for up to 100 times what they paid for them when Western nations then forgive the debt the countries owe. In this case, Grossman’s company paid $3 million for a debt Zaire owed Yugoslavia and now the country been told by courts in Jersey (a tax haven in the English Channel) that they owe $100 million to Grossman. 

Tourists are flocking to Nyamulagira volcano in the Congo to see the most active volcano in Africa, paying up to $300 to be escorted to a viewing site in the national park. 

Libya

BBC News reported Monday that seven Libyans were killed in inter-militia clashes around the oil-rich city of Zawiya with Al-Jazeera reporting a further 13 killed around Tripoli by Tuesday of that week. The National Transitional Council and militia fighters said that the dispute which caused the armed clashes had been put to rest over the weekend, but the clashes highlight concerns by both Western leaders and the NTC that the continuing autonomy of armed militia groups could be detrimental to the stability of the new Libyan state.

Reuters reportedTuesday on the continuing importance and dangers of the militias in maintaining order in the country while the still fragile NTC gradually asserts more direct authority. Mahmoud Jabril, who served as the National Transitional Council’s Prime Minister during the civil war, said on Wednesday that a “rapid vote” should be undertaken within six months to construct a new Libyan government, fearing the consequences of a prolonged power vacuum.

NYT reported Tuesday that in the fields of Zawiya and elsewhere, Libyan oilproduction has been rising back at a faster than expected rate, with Libyan officials estimating that pre-conflict levels of output will be restored by June. Libyan oil sites were largely spared of extensive damage during the civil war, both sides aware of their strategic and economic importance. However, challenges remain both in bringing back foreign workers and companies in a still uncertain political and security situation within Libya as well as the task of properly administering the vast oil network.

The European Union’s foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton visited Tripoli onSaturday to meet with the leaders of the National Transitional Council and discuss the future of the new Libya as well its relationship with the European Union. Aston was quoted as saying “’This is your country, We are here to help and support’, and also emphasized the vitality of women’s rights in the formation of a free, democratic Libyan state.

The president of Niger expressed concerns last Friday over the proliferation of arms and the threat ofarms trafficking stemming from the aftermath of the civil conflict in Libya. The President stated that Niger’s military has been involved in several clashes with arms traffickers attempting to cross the border, and has intercepted traffickers transporting surface to air missile systems which could potentially be sold to terrorist groups. The Qaddafi regime possessed some 20,000 missiles for man portable air defense systems, many of which went missing in the chaos of the civil conflict. US officials say that the majority of the weapons remain within Libya, but stress the importance of quickly securing Libyan weapons stockpiles.

Niger announced on Friday that one of Muammar Qaddafi’s sons, Saadi Qaddafi, would remain in that nationdespite calls by the Libyan government for his extradition. Saadi fled to Niger during the latter stages of the Libyan conflict, having earlier faced a United Nations travel ban along with other Qaddafi family members, as well as the freezing of their assets. Interpol similarly has placed a warrant for his arrest and extradition back to Libya should he enter the borders of a member state. Niger says it has granted Saadi asylum in their country on “humanitarian grounds”.

The education update is produced every Thursday to update STAND members and the advocacy community about developments with regards to genocide and crimes against humanity.  For more information contact the following:

Education Coordinator: Sean Langberg education@standnow.org 

Sudan Education Coordiator: Emma Smith esmith@standnow.org

DRC Education Coordinator: Siobhan Kelly skelley@standnow.org

Emerging Crises Education Coordinator: Tom Dolzall tdolzall@standnow.org 

Weekly Education and Advocacy Update

11/4-11/10

Intenational Aid, Syria Sanctions Act, Sudan, DRC, Libya

International Aid and Syria Sanctions Act

2012 International Affairs Budget

Discussion of various international affairs budgets slated to happen last week has been delayed, though this vote must take place before November 18th, which is the next deadline before the government will face a shutdown.  Complicating this process are "half dozen Republican senators [who] have confirmed that they are considering introducing one or more amendments to the State-Foreign Operations spending bill on a variety of foreign policy issues. Many are likely to include significant cuts to foreign aid," writes CQ Staff Writer Emily Cadei.  These senators include:

• Mark Kirk [R-IL],
• Tom Coburn [R-OK],
• Jim Risch [R-ID],
• John Isakson [R-GA], and
• Bob Corker [R-TN], 

though not all have provided details on the amendments they are considering proposing.

Earlier this week, United to End Genocide, American Jewish World Service, Jewish World Watch, Humanity United, The Institute on Religion and Public Policy, and Investors Against Genocide joined in writing a letter urging members of the United States Senate to fully support international affairs funding.  The text focused on the current challenges facing Sudan and the need to ensure that adequate resources are available for humanitarian aid, development assistance, economic support, and peacekeeping funding.  Please call your Senator and join us in supporting full funding for this critical section of the US budget.

Syria Sanctions Act of 2011 (S. 1472)

Keep an eye out for a Call-In Day and letter writing campaign (plus letter-writing resources) in the next couple of days in support of the Syria Sanctions Act of 2011, which aims to implement penalties in the US for all companies engaging with Syria’s petroleum sector.  The bill currently has twelve co-sponsors, but additional co-sponsors are key in demonstrating political will for the sanctions.  Please take action now by calling your Senators through 1-800-GENOCIDE or sending them a message through POPVOX to ask for their support for this legislation.

Sudan and South Sudan

 The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on Thursday announced its troops have entered the border town of Kurmuk after heavy battles with fighters from the Sudan People Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N).SAF said in a statement that they managed to “fully liberate and secure” the town which lies on the borders with Ethiopia.

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) remains committed to its strong protection of civilian mandate in line with Chapter seven of the Security Council’s resolution 1996 (2011), said Hilde F. Johnson, the Special Representative to the UN Secretary General (SRSG).

A senior official from South Sudan’s military intelligence has openly accused a Khartoum-based airline company of backing rebel groups intending to overthrow the southern government.

The chairman of the opposition party, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement for Democratic Change (SPLM-DC), Lam Akol Ajawin, said his party will contest in the 2015 general elections in South Sudan.

The Sudanese government on Thursday, October 27th claimed that its forces are now on the outskirts of Al-Kurmuk district which is currently under the control by rebel forces.

Payinjiar county, one of the counties of Unity state most affected by illegal arms, has been peacefully taking part in a disarmament program; however, 200 illegal AK-47s were just collected from the Unity state.

A South Korean delegation will visit South Sudan in mid-November in order to follow up previous assessments intended to lead to the deployment there of peacekeepers from the east Asian country.

Press freedom group Reporters Without Borders on Tuesday became the latest human rights organization to campaign for the release of Sudan Tribune journalist Peter Ngor Arol Garang and another journalist Dengdit Ayok. Amnesty International (AI) has also released a statement calling for the release of the two South Sudanese journalists. Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists were the first to call for the release of Sudan Tribune journalist Ngor Garang, who was arrested Wednesday after a newspaper he edits in Juba published an article critical of South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir.

The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in Sudan has rejected a US proposal aimed at resolving the conflict in the country’s oil-rich state of South Kordofan, saying Khartoum will never accept to cede any part of it.

The UN Security Council urged the Sudanese government to bring to justice those who attack the peacekeepers of the joint African Union United Nations mission operating in Darfur (UNAMID).

A peacekeeper from Sierra Leone serving with the African Union United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was killed on November 6 near the capital of South Darfur state, the United Nations disclosed from New York.

The Sudan people’s Liberation Army (SPLA) has arrested a key opposition leader over allegations linking him to the formation of a new rebel group fighting against the South Sudan government.

Sudan has accused Chad of harboring and helping the Sudanese rebels who have been fighting the government and its allied militias in Darfur.

DRC

The upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections on November 28 represent an important milestone in Congolese democracy, as it will be the second democratic election in the country’s history. However factors such as fraud, violence and lack of preparation continue to undermine the election’s potential for success and the country’s development and peace-building as a whole. 

On Tuesday, opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi announced on Radio Lisanga TV that due to the vast support he has in the country, he is the president of Congo today. He said, "We don’t need to wait for the elections. In a democracy, whoever has the power is the majority of the people. Therefore, from this day on I am the Head of State of the DRC." This declaration came from South Africa, where he has spent the past 10 days. He also denied claims that his party had made that the Congolese government had refused his plane permission to land. Finally he advocated for all of his supporters who had been jailed to be released; if they were not released, he told his supporters to “break the prisons” in order to free them. 

The reverberations of his comments were felt around the global community, as well as in the country itself where opposition supports continue to demonstrate in Kinshasa. The government responded to his comments saying they could amount to “treason”. Also, African Union Commission chairman Jean Ping traveled to Congo this week to urge presidential candidates to adhere to the election results at the end of the month. 

The UN announced that it has documented a “worrying number” of human rights violations in the DRC in the build up to the elections. umanHiDocumented human rights violations include fraud in the electoral process, infringement of the rights to assemble and the right to free speech. The report also cited the potential of the human rights violations to not only undermine the electoral process, but also spark violence after the polls. 

According to a recent report by Radio Okapi, approximately 10,000 electoral observers will be deployed to the country as part of the National Observation Mission. However this falls short of the goal of placing one observer in each of the 62,000 polling stations.

Reuters just published a list of key political risks to watch in the November 28^th elections, noting that there are “increasingly concerns about the country’s readiness for the polls and what impact a troubled vote might have on efforts to stabilize the nation”. 

Libya

A court in Tunis decided Wednesday to extradite former Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmudi back to his native country.  Al-Mahmudi who served as PM in Qaddafi’s government until the battle for Tripoli, had been arrested in September by Tunisian authorities as he tried to cross the border into nearby Algeria. Amnesty International has expressed opposition to the extradition however, Amnesty’s North Africa spokesperson stating that, “if he would be returned to Libya, he would at present face real risks, serious human rights violations, including torture … extra-judicial execution and unfair trial.”

Libya’s Interim Minister of Justice, has announced Mohammed al-Alagi, announced last week tentative plans to investigate and catalog decades worth of human rights abuses undertaken under the Qaddafi regime. Looking to precedents set by nations such as Argentina and South Africa, whose efforts to grapple with the past emphasized “fact-finding and accountability rather than punishment”. 

NYT reported meanwhile last week on a protest outside a Tripoli prison on Tuesday held primarily by relatives of Qaddafi loyalists being held there, in which they made claims of abuse by NTC forces and militias. An NTC spokesperson responded to the charges saying that “we have a lot of problems in the prisons,” but also emphasized many were still under the control of autonomous militia forces and not official NTC control. Such claims follow reports made late last month by Human Rights Watch that certain militia groups terrorized civilians deemed pro-Qaddafi during the final stages of the conflict and into the present, HRW called upon the NTC to take firmer control over the largely autonomous militia forces.

The education update is produced every Thursday to update STAND members and the advocacy community about developments with regards to genocide and crimes against humanity.  For more information contact the following:

Education Coordinator: Sean Langberg education@standnow.org 

Sudan Education Coordiator: Emma Smith esmith@standnow.org

DRC Education Coordinator: Siobhan Kelly skelley@standnow.org

Emerging Crises Education Coordinator: Tom Dolzall tdolzall@standnow.org