Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 by the OurPledge Team - View Comments
The UN confirmed as much during a press conference yesterday:
“Concerning major demonstrations planned during the General Assembly session to protest inadequate United Nations support for civilians in Darfur, Mr. Le Roy [UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations] said the protests were a reminder that the Darfur crisis was not over. Despite improvements since 2003, including a round-the-clock United Nations presence in the internally displaced persons camps, the situation was still unstable, characterized by violence and 2.5 million people living in camps, and it could deteriorate rapidly. United Nations authorities continued to push for an inclusive peace agreement in Darfur.”
“Ms. Malcorra [Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Field Support] said 75 percent of the military component and 63 per cent of the police component of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) had been deployed. Since last year, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support had removed logistical and supply roadblocks and it was now poised to send the remaining requisite troops. It aimed to have 92 per cent deployment of UNAMID by year’s end, taking into account the current supply constraints of some troop-contributing and police-contributing countries. Still, at 92 per cent capacity, key enablers such as helicopters and transport companies would still be missing.”
“In terms of the number of United Nations helicopters in Darfur, she said the Organization had civilian helicopters on the ground, but no military ones. It planned to soon deploy five helicopters from Ethiopia, but it had not received any more pledges for such equipment for Darfur nor for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chad.”
Read the full press conference summary here:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MYAI-7VX399?OpenDocument
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 by Nikki Serapio - View Comments
From the BBC News website:
Photojournalist Stuart Price recently spent more than a year living in Darfur, “embedded with the forces who are trying to bring peace to Sudan’s war-torn west.”
Check out some of Price’s powerful photos here. One caption from the photoset reads:
“Rape is used as a weapon of war. Tens of thousands of women and girls have been subjected to extreme sexual violence since the crisis began. Yet holding the perpetrators accountable is almost non-existent.”
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 by the OurPledge Team - View Comments
Aid groups on Tuesday said Sudan had taken millions of dollars from them in seized assets and enforced redundancy payments after expelling them in retaliation for a war crimes case against the president.
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 by Nikki Serapio - View Comments
Building off of Michelle’s great post on the matter:
It looks like the White House has finally replied to some Sudan activists’ letters, faxes, emails, and phone calls. The key excerpt from the administration’s email response:
As President, I will build on America’s efforts that I previously championed in the Senate. I led in calling for the joint African Union/United Nations peacekeeping force now on the ground, and insisted on comprehensive sanctions against the Khartoum government. Going forward, my Administration will continue this work with unstinting resolve to end the genocide.”
(Read more…)
Monday, July 13th, 2009 by Nikki Serapio - View Comments
The reviews have come in about President Obama’s Ghana speech this last weekend. Nicholas Kristof wrote: “I liked Obama’s speech in Ghana. He emphasized the need for good governance…” (Read more…)
Friday, July 3rd, 2009 by the OurPledge Team - View Comments
Nobel Laureates Desmond Tutu, Wangari Maathai, Wole Soyinka, and a number of African civic leaders and human rights advocates have signed a letter urging African Union leaders to support the International Criminal Court’s pursuit of justice and accountability in Sudan.
An excerpt: “We are convinced that the ICC can be one effective vehicle, alongside national and regional mechanisms, for achieving justice for the gross violations committed by all sides in the conflict in Darfur. The people of Darfur deserve more than negotiating warlords forgiving each other for the violence–including brutal sexual violence–they have perpetrated primarily against women, children and other non-combatants. There can be no real peace without justice and security.”
The letter was released last week. Read it in full on the Save Darfur Coalition’s website.
Monday, June 29th, 2009 by the OurPledge Team - View Comments
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Saturday, June 27th, 2009 by Nikki Serapio - View Comments
It’s been five years since Congress’ first official declaration of genocide in Darfur. More than 1700 days since this determination, the people of Western Sudan are still waiting.
Waiting for adequate protection from the Sudanese military and the Janjaweed militias. Waiting for justice and reconstruction after losing their families and homes. Waiting for a real chance to rebuild their lives. (Read more…)
Monday, June 22nd, 2009 by the OurPledge Team - View Comments
About two months after going live with a new site, we’ve decided to iterate again after much feedback and constructive criticism.
We hope you like our new design. We’ll be adding things here and there over the next few days, so stay tuned. If you want to access our old blog archives, just use the sidebar to your right.
