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.
Last week, clashes between the Congolese army, FARDC, and militias lead by General Laurent Nkunda erupted in North Kivu province, marking the worst violations to-date of a ceasefire agreement signed in January 2008. Now, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in DRC, MONUC, is facing violent protests as it attempts to restore calm. Although all sides have repeatedly violated the ceasefire, eastern DRC has remained relatively stable since January, at least compared to conditions during the country’s devastating civil war (1998-2003).
You can now register for STAND Out Loud: National Student Conference 2008! The conference will take place November 7-9, less than a week after the election, a perfect time to make an important statement to the new administration.
Right now, the world’s attention is turned to the 2008 Presidential Elections iin the United States between Democratic candidate Obama and Republican candidate McCain. And for all of us concerned about what is happening in Sudan, we have another election to watch: the 2009 Presidential Election.
As the dust cleared, we saw the Government of Sudan’s attack of Kalma camp in Darfur left a few dozen dead and scores wounded.
Check out GI-NET’s new webpage on the appropriations process!
The appropriations process can seem confusing, but GI-NET’s new page clearly lays it out. The appropriations cycle takes place every year, so it’s important to remain vigilant in this area. Knowing more about the process can help us to become more effective advocates for funding related to Darfur, like the peacekeeping budget and funding diplomatic efforts in the region.
Last weekend, I attended a retreat meant to train me to be a well-equipped State Outreach Coordinator for Texas! I met some of the funniest, most intelligent people that you will ever meet. But as fellow STANDERs you know we are all pretty much the epitome of kick ass! I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to kick the year off! Being around so many people as passionate about establishing a constituency of individuals that will no longer allow genocide to take place anywhere in the world is extremely inspirational.
The headlines in Darfur this week told a story which has become as repetitive as the rising of the sun over the Sahara: Sudanese military forces attacked Darfur refugee camp, dozens dead, dozens more wounded.
"I am inside the camp Kalma. Now there is still shooting," Abakr Suleiman, a senior tribal leader inside the settlement, said at 10 a.m. "There is heavy shooting. They came into the camp and killed people. There are houses burning."
As activists we often feel like we are alone in the world and that we are some of the only people that care about making genocide history. However, this outlook on the movement is totally false and thankfully there are other crazy people in this movement (known affectionately as members of the STAND Leadership Team, or SLT) that have no quells staying up till after one in the morning to discuss the ICC indictments and the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine.
Sri Lanka Education Call Blog Post
Not many know that just below the southern tip of India, exists a small, tear drop-shaped island. Perhaps a symbol of the sadness that has reigned in one of Asia’s longest and most brutal ethnic conflicts, from the time of its independence from Britain in 1948, Sri Lanka has silently, but violently, spiraled downward.
