TresSugar

Front Page: Rice Signs Missile Deal, Taliban Assaults US Base, Sudan's President Denies Genocide

CitizenSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:57:25 -0700

Rice Signs Missile Deal:
Against strong opposition from Russia, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed an agreement with Poland to locate a missile defense base on Polish territory. The Kremlin called the act "hostile" though US officials say the defense system is aimed at threats from countries like Iran and will not target Russia. Rice says, “Missile defense, of course, is aimed at no one. It is in our defense that we do this.”

Taliban Assaults US Base:
Taliban insurgents, in the most serious attack in six years, perpetrated a coordinated assault on one of the largest US military bases in Afghanistan. At least 10 suicide bombers and another 100 insurgents killed 10 elite French paratroopers. It was the single deadliest loss for foreign troops since the Taliban was removed from power in 2001.

Sudan's President Denies Genocide:
Sudan's president denied that his regime is responsible for carrying out genocide in the Darfur region. The Hague indicted Omar al-Bashir last month on genocide charges, but he says the numbers are exaggerated, "genocide like the International Criminal Court claims is nonexistent." The prosecution said the militia directed by al-Bashir's government killed 300,000 ethnic Africans and displaced 2.5 million.

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Front Page: US Cracks Largest ID Theft, Rwanda Accuses French of Genocide, Bush to Urge Human Rights

CitizenSugar — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:00:26 -0700

US Cracks Largest ID Theft:
US authorities have charged 11 people in what they're calling the largest-ever identity theft case. Hacking into the computer systems of major retailers like TJ Maxx and Barnes & Noble, the group is accused of stealing 40 million credit card numbers before selling them. The DOJ says the scam caused "widespread" losses, and US AG Mukasey says, "this case highlights our increasing vulnerability to the theft of personal information."

Rwanda Accuses French of Genocide:
Rwanda's government issued a report accusing French officials of involvement in the 1994 genocide that left 800,000 dead. The officials are accused of giving political and logistical support to Rwanda's extremist government and Hutu forces. The report says, “French soldiers themselves directly were involved in assassinations of Tutsis and Hutus accused of hiding Tutsis."
Bush to Urge Human Rights:
In Thailand today, President Bush is delivering an address communicating his "deep concerns" about human rights in China, and urging the communist nation to broaden political freedom. Bush says, ''America stands in firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists. We speak out for a free press, freedom of assembly and labor rights - not to antagonize China's leaders, but because trusting its people with greater freedom is the only way for China to develop its full potential.'' Bush arrives in Beijing for the Olympics later today.

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Candidates' Joint Statement Vows Vigilance on Darfur

CitizenSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 09:00:48 -0700

In a strong and perhaps rare show of unity, all three candidates declared in a joint statement released today by the Save Darfur Coalition, that waiting for the end of the Bush administration will do the Sudanese government no good. McCain, Clinton, and Obama said this:

Today, we wish to make clear to the Sudanese government that on this moral issue of tremendous importance, there is no divide between us. If peace and security for the people of Sudan are not in place when one of us is inaugurated as president on Jan. 20, 2009, we pledge that the next administration will pursue these goals with unstinting resolve.

Though the statement is mostly symbolic - the three are not proposing any specific Congressional action against Sudan, or any tangible steps by the United States to put pressure on the Sudanese government - is it an effective way to send a message to the government of Sudan that the next American president will continue to hold firm on Darfur?

At least 200,000 people have been killed there since the Arab-dominated government of Sudan unleashed tribal militias known as the janjaweed on non-Arab rebel groups and civilians. The Sudanese government says that number is exaggerated and denies that the killing amounts to genocide. Is a joint statement a good omen for the coming campaign? Will it help?

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Mass Exodus in the Congo Has Roots In Rwandan Genocide

CitizenSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:00:10 -0700

I know the math on the picture=1,000 words shtick, but these words on the refugee exodus in the Democratic Republic of Congo combined with these pictures is almost a novel I can't even fathom:

Along the red dirt roads looping in and out of the jungle, they trooped in their thousands. The women clutching infants to their chests and balancing rolled-up mattresses, blankets and pots on their heads. Any child old enough to walk carried a jerry can of water or dragged a sack of food.

The people who live in the Democratic Republic of Congo are once again under fire. Many who live in the perpetually war-torn nation have been driven from their homes more times than they can remember and sadly they're finding it's time to escape once more. Packing up any possessions they can manage they're fleeing in advance of the invading Tutsi rebels. The rebels are driving both the government forces, which outnumber them by more than 3 to 1 and the UN peacekeepers that are being met with anger and violence at their inadequate response.

View 5 Photos ›

To see the historic context, read more.

Nearly 30,000 refugees are fleeing into cities and towns bursting their resources. And as the fighting continues so does the human misery. "These people are in a very precarious situation," said Ms van Goor of MSF (Doctors Without Borders). "We're in the middle of the rainy season now and without proper water and sanitation, they're vulnerable to all sorts of diseases."

The conflict is in response to fear of a further genocide by the Hutus who were responsible for the murder of hundreds and thousands of Tutsis in 1994 in neighboring Rwanda. The Tutsi rebels claim that the Congolese government is not doing nearly enough to ensure their safety and are now taking matters into their own hands.

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Court Seeks Genocide Charges Against Sudanese President

LibertySugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:30:33 -0700

The International Criminal Court's prosecutor requested a warrant for the arrest of Umar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, alleging genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. If issued, it would be the body's first indictment against a sitting head of state. Many hail this as an important international step in stopping the bloodshed in Darfur.

The prosecutor, claiming Bashir took out his inability to defeat a rebellion on civilians, said:

Al-Bashir organized the destitution, insecurity, and harassment of the survivors. He did not need bullets. He used other weapons: rapes, hunger, and fear. As efficient, but silent.

Others, with hopes of a political settlement, prefer to tread lightly with Bashir and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon apparently called Bashir to let him know the ICC made its decision independent of the UN. But Darfur activists want the UN Security Council to use the legal maneuver as launching pad for further action. To see why, read more.

The President of Save Darfur implored the powerful Security Council to adopt a comprehensive strategy and act on the ICC warrants. Those wanting to see an end to the suffering in Darfur have good reason to doubt that warrants are enough - President Bashir promoted the last Sudanese official to be charged with similar crimes to be the minister of humanitarian affairs.

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Dalai Lama: China's "Cultural Genocide," China Blocks YouTube

CitizenSugar — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:00:49 -0700

Yesterday the Dalai Lama accused China of waging “cultural genocide” against his followers in Tibet and called for an international investigation into the increasingly violent suppression of protests. It was the Dalai Lama's strongest defense of Tibetan Buddhists staging an uprising against Chinese rule to date. He endorsed the right of his people to protest their grievances peacefully against Chinese authorities, adding that he would not ask Tibetans to surrender to Chinese military police by midnight on Monday, as Beijing has demanded.

Some Tibetans are hoping for outright independence from China and feel that they have the perfect political opportunity to call attention to change as China prepares for the Olympic Games, moving centerstage and sparking intense scrutiny of its human rights record.

In response to the protests, Internet users in China were blocked from accessing YouTube yesterday after dozens of videos about protests in Tibet appeared on the video website. The videos posted Saturday showed foreign news reports about the demonstrations, with photos and scenes from Tibet-related protests abroad. The Chinese government is silent on its move to prevent access to YouTube. Users trying to call up the YouTube were presented with a blank screen.

Do you think the move by China to block access to this information just serves to underscore the Dalai Lama's point?

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Need to Know: Kurdish Genocide Led by "Chemical Ali"

LibertySugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:00:53 -0800

This week Iraq upheld the death sentence of Ali Hassan al-Majid, a.k.a "Chemical Ali." This cousin of Saddam Hussein led the al-Anfal ("the Spoils") genocide campaign against the Kurds in 1988. Between February and August 1988, over 100,000 Kurds died and 2,000 villages were destroyed at the hands of Saddam's Baath party. During the campaign, Iraq became the first country to use chemical weapons against its own people.

During Anfal, Kurds that escaped mass executions and burial in mass graves met other miserable fates. Many re-settled further south, facing death if they attempted to return to their homes. The dire settlements had few provisions, and many ultimately starved to death if they did not receive undercover help from nearby towns. Other civilian, non-rebel Kurds were imprisoned, and often perished in brutal custody.

The Kurds, a non-Arabic people who speak a language related to Persian, straddle Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Armenia, and Syria. They are predominately Sunni Muslims. Their attempts to set up an independent state have been defeated every time.

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Now You Know: Darfur Conflict in Sudan

LibertySugar — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:00:59 -0800

At least 200,000 people have died, and more than 2.5 million have been displaced as a result of the Darfur conflict in Sudan. In 2004, the Sudanese government troops, as well as independent, Arab, pro-government militias, began targeting discontent rebel forces and the black African population. The rebels sought to resist a Muslim central government, accusing them of neglecting the black African residents of the region in favor of the Arabs. It's thought that the government supports one of the militia groups fighting against the rebels, the Janjaweed, known for brutal acts of theft, rape, and slaughter, though the government denies this link. Since the beginning of this conflict, the region's black population has been the target of unthinkable atrocities and destruction carried out by the Arab, pro-government militias.

While international leaders condemned the government's campaigns as genocide and called for the presence of United Nations peacekeepers, the Sudanese government resisted UN forces. On May 29, 2007, President Bush announced that Sudan would suffer new unilateral sanctions. Three weeks later, Sudan reached a deal with the UN to allow a force of 20,000 troops to bolster the struggling 7,000 member African Union (AU) force. But things have not gone well for the UN/AU peacekeepers. Just this month, rebels open fired on a UN/AU supply convoy.

Some believe the situation has moved from genocide to anarchy. Save Darfur, a leading advocacy group, does not see it that way. They believe that the conditions in Darfur are not evidence of an end to genocide and the onset of a new war-but are instead echoes of genocide. And where are they getting the weapons? A lot of them are supplied by China. How? Well, read more.

According to the New York Times, Amnesty International USA reports that:

In exchange for access to Sudanese oil, Beijing is financing, diplomatically protecting and supplying the arms for the first genocide of the 21st century. China is the largest arms supplier to Sudan, officially selling $83 million in weapons, aircraft and spare parts to Sudan in 2005.

This summer, the 2008 Olympics may be the stage for protests at Chinese embassies, and athletes and spectators may call attention to the genocide, too.

For more information on Darfur, check out these sites:

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George Clooney Hopes For Peace In Darfur

CitizenSugar — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:59:24 -0800

If you follow New York Times columnist Nicolas Kristof on Twitter, you know George Clooney is currently visiting Darfur. Kristof shared with the Internet that he and George are currently not showering while they visit the war-torn region.

Tonight on NBC Nightly News, George shared his hopes for the region with Ann Curry. George said that he doesn't see much change in Sudan since he last visited three years ago.

In the years that have passed since that visit, the International Criminal Court's prosecutor requested a warrant for the arrest of Umar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, alleging genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Still Bashir remains in power and the genocide continues. George hopes that a little celebrity-induced attention will raise international awareness.

To see a clip from George's interview, read more.

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Headline: Bush in Rwanda and the Human Face of Darfur

CitizenSugar — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:00:56 -0800

President Bush laid a wreath at the memorial of the victims of the Rwandan genocide yesterday. The genocide claimed 800,000 Rwandans, a lot of them children, mostly over the span of 100 days in 1994. Bush's trip to Africa has been a series of somber scenes. While touring the museum to this genocide, the topic of another - the Sudanese genocide in Darfur - came up.

President Bush has received criticism for not sending troops to Darfur. He said yesterday:

I still believe it was the right decision. But, having done that, if you’re a problem solver, you put yourself at the mercy of the decisions of others, in this case the United Nations. And I’m well known to have spoken out by the slowness of the United Nations. It is - seems very bureaucratic to me, particularly with people suffering.

Adding a very human, firsthand account to the Darfur tragedy, a New Zealand nurse, Lisa French Blaker, has just written a book called Heart of Darfur, recounting her two years of service in the region. For more about her powerful experience, read more. It was a period of time that she said "broke her heart." She said:

Part of my disillusionment and my broken heart, when I think of Darfur, is the many that we failed and the many that we lost. There were times that government and Janjaweed troops forced us out of a village, and took us away from the people that we were trying to help, and we lost them.

Though Blaker tells horrifyingly sad tales, there are also stories of hope. Treating a sick, dying, new mother, she tells of her transformation. "Slowly, we turned her into a smiling, singing, dancing lady. It was magical." A perfect metaphor for hope for a region in conflict.

It makes me want to read her book immediately, and with a box of tissues. How about you?

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