In this week’s issue: A false alarm from the ICC amid a continued escalation of violence in Darfur, another attempt to engage the Burmese junta, and a regional reunion in DR Congo.

After the New York Times reported that the ICC had decided to issue an arrest warrant for President Bashir, and before the announcement – less than 24 hours later – that the warrant is still pending (at least for the moment), Sabina Carlson, STAND’s former National Education Coordinator, discussed the news with her friends and colleagues at the Crops Training Center in Yei, South Sudan.

Today marks the 25th day of Obama’s presidency.  As we all know, President Obama and his administration face an enormous array of challenges.  The administration is dealing with a major economic crisis, two wars, and an increasingly dangerous world.  In this kind of environment, it’d be easy for Obama to do very little on Darfur.

But I don’t think that’s going to happen, and it’s because of what I’ve seen STAND activists do this week.

Yesterday, The New York Times reported that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had announced its decision to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

Today, it seems that the ICC is trying to control the information leak, issuing a statement denying that any kind of decision has been made.

The New York Times just reported that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has decided to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. While the warrant has not yet been officially issued, a panel of judges has conveyed its decision to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. A formal announcement is expected in the next couple of days.

On Sunday, we reported on the "nightmarish" situation for civilians in Sri Lanka, where 250,000 civilians are  caught in the crossfire of a civil war.

This is Sabina Carlson, your former Education Coordinator, writing in from Southern Sudan. I am here at the Crops Training Center in Yei, Central Equatoria State, which is one of 6 agricultural training centers established by the Government of Southern Sudan after the war to help its rural citizens build and rebuild.

In this week’s issue: Fighting continues in South Darfur, the UN pushes for talks in Burma, and Rwandan citizens flee eastern Congo by the thousands.

On Monday, GI-NET reported on the escalating situation in Sri Lanka, where the long-standing conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) rebels has intensified considerably in recent weeks.  More than 250 civilians have been killed in this latest round of violence, as internationally-run hospital facilities and government-designated ‘safe zones’ have come under repeated attack.

The Sudanese government announced Wednesday night that it has  taken the South Darfur town of Muhajiriya  from Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebels.  Earlier this week, Khartoum asked the 196 UNAMID peacekeepers stationed in the town to clear out in anticipation of an attack.  UNAMID vowed