To follow up on the previous post which contained some stark and unsettling news about the Government of Sudan’s questionable motivations behind its crackdown, we want to take a minute to look behind the motivations of the rebel group behind making this attack to begin with.

The following Washington Post article raises several interesting points about the rebel group JEM, a selection from which is as follows:
 

The numerous Darfur rebel groups have been accused of obstructing progress toward a negotiated settlement as they have become increasingly fragmented.

Of all the rebel groups, JEM has emerged as the fiercest fighting force. It is led by Khalil Ibrahim, who is accused by some of harboring an Islamist agenda at odds with the cause of the other rebel groups.

Alex de Waal, an analyst with the Social Science Research Council in New York, said that JEM’s loyalties lie more with Chad than with Darfurians and that its advance into Khartoum "changes the game." He predicted that the attack would derail what little progress has been made toward a negotiated settlement and provoke a crackdown in Khartoum in coming days.

"We can only fear the worst," he said. "They will be going house to house . . . and people will be rounded up. It’s going to be very ugly, I fear."

For those of you concerned about the situation in Burma, you should know that aid is slowly beginning to trickle into the country.

However, many are saying that what is happening in Burma right now brings up the question of The Responsibility to Protect, something that STAND holds as one of its founding principles. Click here for the link to the Washington Post article outlining the relationship between R2P and Rangoon.

Key excerpts:

"When a parent abuses or neglects a child, government steps in to offer protection. But who steps in when government abuses or neglects its people? …the United Nations has averted its gaze as Sudan’s government continues to ravage the people of Darfur. It has turned away as Zimbabwe’s rulers terrorize their own people. Now it is bowing to Burma’s sovereignty as that nation’s junta allows more than a million victims of Cyclone Nargis to face starvation, dehydration, cholera and other miseries rather than allow outsiders to offer aid on the scale that’s needed."

There has been a crackdown on "suspected rebels" in the capitol city of Khartoum. However, there are reports that this is more like a crackdown on persons of Darfuri descent, particularly those belonging to the Zaghawa tribe of the rebel movement JEM.

Click here

for an article on the roundups, and read below for an excerpt:

"If you are dark and resemble the people of the Zaghawa tribe … they will take you away," said Fatema Daoud, 22, who belongs to a Darfur rebel faction. "If they hear you speaking the Zaghawa dialect, they will arrest you. My people are living in panic."

Sunday, government pickups circulated through Khartoum loaded with suspects, almost all of whom had dark skin. Soldiers pumped their fists into the air as jubilant onlookers cheered.

Hey Everyone-

Please note that over the next week, we’ll be updating the blog frequently with news updates from Sudan and Burma. This is due to the urgency of the situations this week. As always, remember to comment and also feel free to email STAND’s Education Coordinator Sabina Carlson at education@standnow.org

This weekend, a significant escalation in the conflict in Darfur happened: a rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) attacked the Government of Sudan in the capitol Khartoum. The following is a rundown of the news from this weekend:

The set-up:

On Thursday, the Sudanese government accused the rebel group JEM of plotting to attack the capital of Khartoum and stepped up security.

The attacks:

Then, just today, heavy fighting broke out between JEM and the Sudanese army near Khartoum. They infiltrated significantly into Korfodan, the province between Khartoum and Darfur, and then launched their attacks. 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 but also imposed a curew on the city; it also said that it would no longer engage in peace talks with JEM and would respond militarily.

The attacks were condemned by both UN chief Ban Ki-Moon and Salva Kiir of the SPLM.

The aftermath:

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. It even arrested a Sudanese opposition leader, Hassan al-Turabi, who has no connection with JEM, and announced the killing of an alleged right-hand man of a JEM leader.

Meanwhile, JEM rebel leader, Khalil Ibrahim, warned from hiding that JEM would stage further attacks on the Sudanese capitol. There is also news coming out that JEM received help from Sudanese army officers.

The Sudanese Governemnt accused the Chad of backing the attack and formally broke off relations with the Chadian government. Reports of fresh fighting have been reported along the Sudan/Chad border. The Embassy of Sudan issued a statement linking the attack to the government of Chad, cut its ties with the Government of Chad, and threatened to retaliate. . Omar al-Bashir’s television address said, ““we hold the Chadian regime fully responsible for what happened.” Chad denies this claim.

Click here for photographs of the aftermath of the attack. Click here for a video on the attack. The New York Times answers the question, “why did the rebels attack Khartoum?”

STAND is excited to announce that two of its student leaders, former Student Director Scott Warren and former High School National Outreach Coordinator Colin O’Brien, are taking their anti-genocide activism on the ground to Africa, and bringing STAND along with them…

We will be keeping track of Scott and Colin through Weekly News Briefs, weekly calls, and action alerts – and you can keep track of their journey at their blog!

Their travel schedule is:

May 28-June 4 = Harare, Zimbabwe

June 4-June 8 = Nairobi, Kenya

June 8-June 10 = N’Djamena, Chad

June 10-June 20 = Refugee camps throughout Chad

June 20-June 22 = N’Djamena Chad