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. 

Over the next few months Senators McCain and Obama have the opportunity to develop and present a plan for action against genocide in Darfur.  A plan like this is essential, as it will be the job of the next President of the United States to quickly respond to the genocide with real, concrete actions. 

Darfur

Check out the STAND Summer Survey!  Just take a few minutes to fill it out, and your voice could help shape the movement for the next year.  You could even win a prize just for filling it out.

I thumb my way through the dry, holier-than-thou-government-language, thirty-five page document entitled “The Massachusetts Guide to Choosing and Using Curricular Materials on Genocide and Human Rights Issues” as I stand outside of State Senator Augustus’ office, nervously waiting for the wall clock to strike 10:30, or at least 10:20.

Darfur:

• Two Darfur rebel groups accuse the Sudanese army of mounting new attacks in North Darfur
  
• Egyptian and Ethiopian forces are set to deploy to Darfur, however UNAMID continues to face challenges
  

This week, the Congolese national army, FARDC, announced a new initiative to crack down on rape and other human rights abuses committed by its troops. In a related development, MONUC, the United Nations peacekeeping force in DRC, announced the completion of training for two more FARDC battalions, part of a program aimed at supporting the creation of a more professional army.

As much as I hate to admit it, I’m a born and raised native Texan and I have spent all my life in Texas (unless the 2 and a half months I just spent in DC count). Being an activist in Texas often seems lonely and from what I’ve been told of the rest of the Southwest region, this sentiment is echoed by many others. As the Southwest Regional Outreach Coordinator for colleges I want to let everyone who has ever felt isolated or as if they are the only ones who seem to care, you are definitely not alone.