News

Fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo continues to escalate this week, as civilians face rape, torture, and murder from rebel militias and government forces alike. Thousands have been forced to flee their homes in recent weeks, with a quarter million Congolese newly displaced since August. The UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, known as MONUC, has been unable to protect civilians from the violence.

Darfur:

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and US special envoy to Darfur Richard Williamson accused Sudan of violating the ceasefire it signed last week. The UN has sent a special delegation to investigate the alleged bombings.

As of just over a week ago, there were 2 arrest warrants and 1 request for an arrest warrant hanging on the walls of the International Criminal Court in the Hague that concerned the crisis in Darfur. The first two were Ahmed Haroun, the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan, and Ali “Kaushayb”, a known Janjaweed leader; the third is a pending warrant for the arrest of the President of Sudan himself, Omar al-Bashir.

As we near our final days in STAND Fast we, as advocates should probably reflect on what we have done and pat ourselves on the back for what (at least I believe) amounts to a stunning show of innovation in the way we deliver aid. The divergence in philosophy that GI Net has taken in producing efficient micro-solutions, that could have major impacts in the way conflict effected people live, represents a new brand of humanitarianism, one that is smart and lasting.

If you went the conference, then you know that being on the STAND Leadership Team is a rewarding, fun, and challenging experience. So, if you're interested in getting more involved with STAND at the national or regional level, then check out some of these openings we have for next semester!

Darfur:

The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has presented evidence asking for the arrest of three rebel commanders for an attack on African Union Peacekeepers in Darfur in 2007. Human rights groups welcomed the move and several Darfur rebel groups vowed to respect the indictments.

Yesterday, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to authorize the deployment of 2,875 military personnel and 300 police to reinforce MONUC, the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The resolution is certainly welcome - and long overdue. The seriously overstretched mission has been struggling to protect civilians and maintain stability in light of a renewed offensive by Tutsi rebels in eastern DRC that began over two weeks ago.

Last Friday, we posted a blog entitled Actions Speak Louder than Words, taking a look at the Sudanese Government's declaration of an "immediate, unconditional" ceasefire on November 15, two days beforehand. There was much skepticism from all sides about the declaration, as the Government of Sudan has consistently broken almost every ceasefire it has ever signed. On Friday, we wrote

This week: a false ceasefire in Darfur, a journalist jailed in Burma for her coverage of Cyclone Nargis, and the UN considers sending reinforcements to a struggling peacekeeping mission in the DR Congo.

A few days ago, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announced a unilateral ceasefire by government forces in Darfur.