It is safe to say, that when art and human rights are synthesized, the outcome can have a certain devastating effect. When Picasso revealed his Guernica painting to the Paris Worlds Fair in 1937 it struck like a cudgel to the minds of a people on a continent that had only felt the breath of the Nazi political machine. Guernica was a sinister foreshadowing, the end signal of the old world as we (collectively speaking) new it. A copy of Picasso’s cubist holocaust hangs at the entrance to the UN Security Council chamber, a looming reminder of that body’s purpose.

Tonight, Tuesday, September 9th, STAND will hold a National Conference Call  for all student activists at 8 pm EDT. We’ll discuss our plans for the year including the upcoming National Conference, STAND Out Loud, and our fall Advocacy campaign, Call to Candidates, and much more.

On Saturday, the Government of Sudan (GoS) allegedly launched heavy attacks against two Darfur rebel groups in Northern Darfur, sparking off a series of heavy military confrontations. The rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Movement – Unity (SLM-Unity) and the United Resistance Front (URF) “claimed government and militia forces attacked their positions on Saturday around the North Darfur towns of Disa, Birmaza and Tawila, causing heavy casualties” according to the AFP. Those casualties included more than two dozen civilians, and over twice as many military.

All-Sudan:

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.

All-Sudan:

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.