Genocide Prevention Task Force Releases Report December 8, 2008 | Press Release
The Genocide Prevention Task Force today released its final report on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The report makes the case for why genocide and mass atrocities threaten core American values and national interests, and how the U.S. government can prevent these crimes in the future.
Jointly convened by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The American Academy of Diplomacy, and the United States Institute of Peace, the Task Force began its work last November with the goal of generating concrete recommendations to enhance the U.S. government’s capacity to recognize and respond to emerging threats of genocide and mass atrocities.
“The world agrees that genocide is unacceptable and yet genocide and mass killings continue,” said Madeleine K. Albright, former Secretary of State and Co-Chair of the Genocide Prevention Task Force. “We believe that preventing genocide is possible, and that striving to do so is imperative both for our national interests and our leadership position in the world.”
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November 20, 2008 ENOUGH PROJECT RESPONDS TO ICC PROSECUTOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DARFUR WAR CRIMES PROSECUTIONWASHINGTON, D.C.
The Enough Project today issued the following statement in response to an announcement by the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
The statement, which follows, is from John Prendergast, Co-chair, John
Norris, Executive Director, and Omer Ismail, Policy Advisor:
Today the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, or I.C.C., Luis Moreno-Ocampo, applied for an arrest warrant for war crimes
against several members of a splinter rebel faction in Darfur related
to the September 29, 2007, attack on African Union peacekeepers in
Haskanita. The Chief Prosecutor's actions are a powerful reminder that
the Court will pursue justice with an even hand and follow the chain of
evidence with regard to crimes against humanity wherever it leads.
Today's move by the prosecutor makes clear that repeated claims by the
Sudanese government that it is being unfairly targeted by the Court are
without merit. Now that government officials, rebels, and militia
leaders all have been subject to I.C.C. actions, it is clear that the
Court is pursuing its work in a professional and impartial manner.
Further, this balanced pursuit of accountability underscores the
importance of all sides in the conflict partaking in credible peace
talks and forging a lasting solution. While the United Nations Security Council
can invoke Article 16 to defer specific cases on a rolling one-year
basis, it only should do so in the overwhelming interest of peace.
Efforts by parties, including the Sudanese Government, to build support
for invoking Article 16 will not be taken seriously until there is a
peace to keep in Darfur.
To read the I.C.C. Chief Prosecutor's statement, click here.
Separately, the Court is still waiting to determine if it will issue an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir
for charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. We
believe these charges to have merit, and the issuance of an arrest
warrant coupled with a change of administration in Washington can
combine to create a transformative opportunity for Darfur. Many
governments that had earlier expressed unqualified support for Bashir
are backing away quietly, making it increasingly plausible that it will
be politically feasible for Bashir to be replaced as president of Sudan
if his fellow party members follow the letter of the law in Sudan, hold
him accountable for his actions, and push him to the side. An arrest
warrant would also present a golden opportunity to use the regime's
desire to suspend these judicial proceedings as leverage not only in
forging a peace agreement in Darfur but in getting implementation of
the existing North-South peace deal back on track.
The Enough Project, Save Darfur, and the Genocide Intervention Network jointly have called on President-elect Obama and his transition team to develop a new strategy for Sudan, or a peace surge,
built around strong diplomacy, improved civilian protection, escalating
pressure on the parties to the conflict, and justice. President Obama
can help lead an international effort to construct a viable, sustained,
high-level peace process that addresses the fundamental issues in
Darfur and Sudan more broadly. The time is right also for a concerted
multilateral effort to see an indicted Bashir resign the presidency and
face extradition to The Hague, which would have a profound effect on
the domestic political situation in Sudan. Peace remains possible in Sudan, and today the Chief Prosecutor took an important step in helping the international community fulfill that goal.
National Conference on Darfur, Washington, DC Nov. 7-9 This
conference was attended by roughly 800 STAND members representing 45
states and 3 countries. The Adult Activist conference hosted by The
Save Darfur Coalition was attended by dozens of adult activists in the
Darfur anti genocide community in addition to dozens of Darfuris who
are actively involved in assisting the efforts of this tremendous
grassroots movement. Many were hopeful that the Obama administration
will fulfill his pledges by acting swiftly and decisively on Darfur
upon assuming office. Please go to the Save Darfur Coalition web
site for a more updated position paper on the specifics of what we
should expect from the president elect and his Administration.
Tents of Hope Event on the National Mall where over 300 tentsfrom all over the country were on exhibit before being shipped to the war torn region of Darfur.
A historic US election means moving forward into a new era in race relations
and halfway across the world another government continues to move
backwards in time by censoring the press. Press Protest in Sudan
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: November 4, 2008 KHARTOUM, Sudan
- Two Sudanese daily newspapers said Tuesday that they would suspend
publication for three days and that their journalists would go on a
24-hour hunger strike to protest state censorship. The journalists said they were resisting a mounting crackdown on freedom of expression ahead of elections expected next year.
Salah
Kajam, publisher of the independent Ajras al-Hurria, said state agents
regularly removed articles critical of the government and reports of
violence in Darfur, among other things. http://www.nytimes.com
Special Dispatch Series November 17, 2008 Sudan Liberation Movement Leader Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur Supports Relations
with Israel: An Israeli Embassy in Khartoum Will Serve Interests of the
Sudanese People The following are excerpts from an interview with Sudan Liberation Movement leader Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur. The interview aired on Al-Arabiya TV on October 10, 2008.
"People from Darfur and Sudan Have Gone to Israel - And They
Are There Now, Studying, Eating Israeli Food, and Living... We Will
Open an Israeli Embassy in Khartoum"
Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur: "There are two types of
normalization. There is normalization between peoples, and this has
already happened. People from Darfur and Sudan have gone to Israel, and
they are there now, studying, eating Israeli food, and living among
them. This has already happened.
"As for political normalization, the Sudan Liberation Movement
says loud and clear: If we come to power, we will open an Israeli
Embassy in Khartoum and consulates next to the Palestinian Embassy and
consulates, because we believe that people should resolve their
problems by peaceful means. As for the war between Israel and the
Palestinians, we are against the killing of civilians, whether in
Israel or in Gaza..."
Interviewer: "But Israel kills Palestinians, and you accept this by your presence there."
Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur: "Let me finish. We are against the
killing of innocent civilians - whether in Israel or the Palestinian
territories. But as I previously said, we would open an Israeli Embassy
because this would serve the interests of the Sudanese people in terms
of politics, industry, agriculture, and investments." [...]
"I Haven't Seen Any Israeli Who Killed a Sudanese... [But] Our Government Killed Its People by the Hundreds of Thousands"
Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur: "Tell me, how can you compare Sudan
to Israel? I haven't seen any Israeli who killed a Sudanese, or who
interfered in Sudanese affairs. In Sudan we have a saying: 'You see an
elephant, but you attack its shadow.'
"Our government killed its people by the hundreds of thousands
- sorry, by the millions. In the name of religion and race, it turned
tens of thousands of families into refugees with its 'Public Interest'
system, by means of the Islamic Front, and it killed people during
Ramadhan. In the name of development, it drove hundreds of thousands
out of their homes everywhere - and then it creates the smokescreen of
hatred of Israel.
"Resolve the problems of the Sudanese people first, and then
talk about Israel. Start with yourself, and stay away from the problems
of others."
With the Arrest Warrant for Al-Bashir, "The Rule Of Law Has Been Transferred From This Failing, Illegal Government To The ICC"
Interviewer: "Are you pleased about the issuing of the
arrest warrant against the Sudanese president? As a Sudanese, do you
feel that this is a political victory for you?"
Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur: "First of all, this is a legal
matter, and as a lawyer, I am very pleased that Al-Bashir and his
government now know that the world is no longer a jungle of wild
beasts, and that it will not allow them to kill their people and remain
at large. The issue of the warrant is purely a legal matter. Every
nation in the world has the right to protect its citizens and bring
them justice.
"In Sudan, we have an outlaw government. Instead of protecting
its citizens, it annihilates them. Therefore, the rule of law has been
transferred from this failing, illegal government to the International
Criminal Court."
Sudan Advocacy and Action Forum- Situation Update/Bill Andress SAAF Update 30-2008 November 10, 2008
Topics in this update:
* Sudan's General Elections * Southern Sudan: Referendum, self-determination, independence * Darfur: Humanitarian Access * South Sudan establishes bureau for civilian disarmament * UN representative arrested near Merowe Dam, Sudan * Media Absence - Southern Sudan
Sudan's General Elections:
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement which ended the 21 year war between
the Government of Sudan and its Southern citizens requires that
Presidential and parliamentary elections on national and state levels
must be held before July 2009. Recently, the Sudan People's Liberation
Movement (SPLM) Secretary-General Pagan Amum warned that the SPLM would
not accept any delay in the date of general elections.
John Ashworth, a long time observer, analyst, and advocate for a just peace in Sudan, notes that the SPLM faces a real dilemma:
*
Any attempt to delay the elections will cause suspicion, and will be
perceived as playing into the hands of the NCP's attempts to delay and
undermine the implementation of the CPA. * Alternatively, if the
elections take place in July 2009 as planned, there are huge problems.
The electoral commission will find it hard to complete its preparations
in time, holding elections during the rainy season will mean that many
parts of the south will not have proper access to the ballot box, and
of course Darfur remains a problem due to security.
Without a
great deal of wisdom on the part of the SPLM, this could become a
lose-lose proposition. (Sudan Tribune and Personal Correspondence)
While
the viewpoints differed, it was clear that South Sudan's
first public lecture held October 29, on preparations for the
referendum on self-determination in the year 2011 was welcomed.
Politicians, civil servants, SPLA Officers, and international
observers, joined Southern Sudan's President Salva Kiir in discussing
the event. Noting that the road to the referendum would be bumpy, Kiir
emphasized the absolutely essential need for the referendum.
"Although
I am always very optimistic, I am slightly worried that some elements
in Sudan will try to deny the people of southern Sudan to exercise this
fundamental right," Kiir said. Many in the south are deeply
distrustful and would challenge Kiir's expression of slight worry.
Some saw the meeting as the first steps in "A Near Unilateral
Declaration of Independence." (South Sudan Nation, Sudan Tribune and
other sources)
Darfur: Humanitarian Access
SAAF Note:
In personal correspondence the program director of one humanitarian
effort in Darfur observes that indigenous Sudanese humanitarian efforts
and those international efforts which maintain a low profile
experience much less interference than highly visible efforts. In our previous update we noted the methods whereby humanitarian access is restricted. Prof. Eric Reeves explains the reason.
"The
long, brutal war of attrition directed at humanitarian aid efforts in
Darfur is again accelerating, as Khartoum seeks to effect a permanently
destructive status quo prior to further UNAMID deployment. These
immensely destructive efforts are also meant to deter the ICC from
issuing an arrest warrant for National Islamic Front regime head Omar
al-Bashir."
Let one example suffice. For more than four
months the Khartoum regime refused to allow entry to 5,000 metric tons
of sugar bound for Darfur. What is the role of sugar in food aid to
Darfur? Sugar is part of a primary food tool called "premix" to
manage malnutrition in children under 5. What goes into this "premix"?
Corn-soya blend, dried skimmed milk...and sugar. This delay in
releasing a large quantity of a key ingredient in sustaining the lives
of young children was a direct assault on their ability to live---it
represents another in a long and continuous history of genocidal
actions by the NIF regime, going back to well before the outbreak of
organized rebellion in Darfur in early 2003.
More simply,
precluding humanitarian access is the natural progression of a strategy
of genocide against targeted civilians once they have been put in a
situation in which they have no options for survival except
humanitarian intervention. (ST, 10/28/08)
South Sudan establishes Bureau for civilian disarmament
The
Government of Southern Sudan established a bureau under the Ministry of
Internal Affairs for the sole purposes of developing and coordinating a
policy for small arms control among the civil population in the
semi-autonomous region. The Bureau will develop comprehensive
strategies and plans to address community insecurity and the misuse of
small arms. Donors and UN agencies have promised to financially and
technically support the Bureau. (ST 11/01/08)UN Representative Arrested near Merowe Dam, Sudan
Dam
authorities closed the gates of the newly constructed Merowe Dam in
Northern Sudan in late October causing a major humanitarian disaster in
the affected area. Thousands of people who had resisted displacement
to sites in the desert were flooded out of their homes, without access
to shelter, sufficient food or medical supplies.
Uta Simon, a
representative of the UN's Khartoum Monitoring Mission, and two
traveling with her, were arrested October 30th while they were visiting
the area. The Sudanese authorities have closed off the affected
area to aid agencies, journalists and apparently the UN. The arrest of
Uta Simon and her colleagues is a scandalous attempt to prevent any
relief and support from reaching the people whose tribal lands are
directly affected by the Merowe Dam. (http://internationalrivers.org/en/africa/merowe-dam-sudan)
Media Absence - Southern Sudan
An
as-yet unpublished report by media experts on the state of the south's
media says that much of the region has no media at all. Other than the
government radio there are only a few radio stations. Many people
gather around the few televisions in the capital to watch the single
government TV channel. Three dailies dominate the press but are often
very similar in content: financial pressures and low capacity mean
much of the papers' content is cut and pasted from the internet.
Without
mass media even basic information has not filtered far into the rural
South. "Many people don't even know about the CPA. They know maybe that
the war has ended. But they don't know their rights," a senior civil
society member said. (Inter Press Service, 11/1/08)
November 06, 2008 A Peace Surge for Sudan
The
message of Sudan activists all over the United States is clear: Don't
try to contain the damage from the war in Darfur--end the war. Don't
just declare that genocide is taking place--end the genocide. Don't
just try to manage the consequences of crisis after crisis in
Sudan--end these crises.
In
a letter to President-Elect Barack Obama released today, Enough Project
Co-Chair John Prendergast, Executive Director John Norris and Save
Darfur Coalition President Jerry Fowler spell out a practical roadmap to end the crisis in Sudan.
"President-elect
Obama has a very important opportunity to bring a new approach to how
the United States, and the world, deals with Sudan," said John Norris,
the Executive Director of the Enough Project. "It is clear that
the new president will need a comprehensive approach that looks at all
the pieces of the puzzle at the same time, including the situation in
Darfur, the role of potential International Criminal Court indictments,
and looming struggles over possible southern Sudanese independence.
Rigorous diplomacy will need to be backed by well-conceived and
consistently escalating pressure on Khartoum and other belligerents to
translate peace from rhetoric into reality." Read the report here.
Genocide Prevention Task Force Releases Report
National Conference on Darfur, Washington, DC Nov. 7-9
