We aim to provide the most up-to-date news and opinions concerning Sudanese matters—in particular news items addressing the crisis in Darfur. Below you can find some of the most enlightening recent pieces. Please also see our
list of links to quality online news sources that provide comprehensive coverage of breaking news and analysis about Sudan.
By Sarah El DeebFrom
The Associated Press
NYALA — Sudan's president made a defiant visit to Darfur just a week after being charged with genocide in the war-ravaged region, vowing not to be intimidated by the indictment and then breaking into a tribal dance on a parched field to the delight of cheering supporters.
Wearing a beige suit and sunglasses and carrying a silver-tipped cane, President Omar al-Bashir exuded confidence during his stops Wednesday. ...
By Marlise Simons, Lydia Polgreen, Jeffrey GettlemanFrom
The New York Times
PARIS — The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court formally requested an arrest warrant on Monday for Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the last five years of bloodshed in the Darfur region of his country.
The prosecutor’s pursuit of Mr. Bashir introduced new volatility to the already chaotic situation in Darfur. ...
By Nicholas D. KristofFrom
The New York Times
Is genocide really that bad?
As President Bush and the Group of 8 leaders who are meeting in Japan again shun their responsibilities in Darfur, there is a serious argument to be made that genocide is overrated as an international concern. The G-8 leaders implicitly accept that argument, which goes like this:
Genocide is regrettable, but don’t lose perspective. It is simply one of many tragedies in ...
By John Prendergast and Colin Thomas-JensenFrom
The Huffington Post
To anyone tracking the international community's muddled efforts to broker peace in Darfur, last week's decision to appoint a new mediator, Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister Djibril Bassole, is welcome news. But it is only a small first step in building a peace process that can end more than five years of genocide and bloody conflict.
The joint United Nations/African Union mediation has ground to a ...
By Opheera McDoomFrom
Reuters
KHARTOUM - Sudan's former north-south foes must maintain a sense of urgency to keep the peace deal that ended Africa's longest civil war on track, an international monitoring body said on Wednesday.
July 9 marks the mid point of the six-year interim period during which all parts of the deal and democratic transformation should be implemented, including elections, power and wealth sharing and culminating in a southern referendum on secession ...
By Alex de WaalFrom
Africa Policy Forum
The political geometry of Sudan defies resolution. No sooner had a framework been agreed for the provisional settlement of the North-South conflict in 2002 than the war in Darfur blew away all conventional wisdom about how the country could achieve peace and stability. The twin challenges of deciding whether Sudan is one country or two, and seeking a more inclusive and democratic system of government, combine ...
Geneva — The Government of National Unity of Sudan, the Government of Southern Sudan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), signed here today an agreement to support the reintegration of 180,000 ex-combatants and to facilitate their successful transition back to civilian life.
The signing took place at a Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) Donor Conference, co-chaired by UNDP and the Government of Japan. At the conference, donors reiterated their full ...
By Eric ReevesFrom
The Guardian UK
Heavy rain and continuing violence are threatening UN food aid to Darfur just at the moment that refugees need it most
UN humanitarian organisations operating in Darfur belatedly acknowledged this week that conditions are poised to deteriorate rapidly for some 4.3 million conflict-affected persons in the vast western region of Sudan, which for five years has been the site of genocidal counter-insurgency warfare. A "perfect storm" of threatening ...
By Krista MinteerFrom
Human Rights First
New York – An international coalition of over 40 nongovernmental organizations from all eight countries represented by the G8 called today on their nations’ leaders to forcefully advocate for concrete and immediate steps to end the crisis in Darfur.
In an open letter sent today, the coalition, which is led by Human Rights First and includes nongovernmental organizations from Sudan itself and from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, ...
By Jerry Fowler and John PrendergastFrom
Enough Project
Almost a year has passed since the United Nations Security Council approved a civilian protection force for Darfur. But the United Nations-African Union mission in Darfur, known as UNAMID, is stunted. Only one-third of the troops are deployed, critical gaps exist in equipment and logistical support and the force has been repeatedly attacked. The Sudanese government systematically obstructs full deployment with total impunity.
The inability to ...
By Eric ReevesFrom
SudanReeves
Despite five years of genocidal counter-insurgency warfare in Darfur, millions among its ravaged civilian population will soon enter a third month receiving only half the necessary food rations from the UN’s World Food Program (WFP). Despite the presence of the world’s largest humanitarian relief operation, the people of Darfur begin the current rainy season with only half the minimum kilocalorie diet necessary to sustain human life. Since the rainy ...
The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor has compared aspects of the Sudanese government's behaviour in Darfur to that of Nazi Germany.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo said officials were covering up and denying crimes. "We've seen it before," he told the UN Security Council in comments which were strongly rejected by Sudan. "The Nazi regime invoked its national sovereignty to attack its own population, and then crossed borders to attack people in other countries."
Sudan's ...
