Tools and resources

This Week West Wing Reports: "Dispatches from Sudan"

cmmassey — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:55:24 -0500

We have been planning and preparing for the outcome of South Sudan referendum for years. Today, preliminary results were released, and it seems the majority, 97 percent, of people of Southern Sudan want independence from the North. This news, as exciting as it may be for the South, means there is much work to be done in order to create a new nation. Issues concerned with secession such as border demarcation and resource division. Watch this video to see behind the scenes at polling stations from Juba to Khartoum , current conditions in Darfur and how the U.S. will commit to the peace in Sudan after decades of civil war.

First Education Newsbrief of 2011

cmmassey — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:08:25 -0500

Sudan

Scott Gration, the U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, departed for Sudan on January 6 to observe and support the upcoming referendum. On his trip, Gration will also travel to Darfur with with newly appointed Senior Advisor on Darfur, Dane Smith.
During a visit to Juba, Sudanese President al Bashir announced he would respect the results of the upcoming referendum and work to maintain peace in South Sudan. The announcement prompted South Sudan President Salva Kiir to expel all armed Durfur rebels who had been taking shelter in South Sudan.Senator Kerry praised the move by al Bashir, but the international community is still cautious.
George Clooney and his organization (Not on Our Watch) announced they will fund a project that collects data via satellite to monitor the conflicts in Darfur and South Sudan. The "Satellite Sentinel Project" will work with Google, the United Nations, and other anti-genocide organizations to launch this project.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Medecins Sans Frontieres has reported the systematic rape of more than 30 women in the eastern DRC on New Years Day. The survivors of the attack have accused the FDLR, a group of genocidaires from the Rwandan 1994 genocide.
France has followed through with the extradition of Rwandan rebel leader Callixte Mbarushimana to the International Criminal Court. He is currently being held for trial on 11 counts of wars crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the DRC in 2009.
The United States Department of Energy has announced plans to switch America's dependency on cobalt from the DRC to domestic American sources.As the world's leading consumer of cobalt, the US has been pressured by advocates to withdraw its role in fueling the war over 'blood minerals' in the DRC.

Burma

Fighting between the Burmese Army and the Arakanese Liberation Army ensued in an area near the Bangladeshi border on January 3. Four Burmese soldiers were killed during the attack.
The Burmese government stated that it plans to grant freedom to all political prisoners before the first session of the country's new parliament. Burma currently has an estimated 2,200 political prisoners.
A legal aid team associated with the National League for Democracy set up a network for lawyers in Burma. This will provide resources for cases such as those concerning child soldiers, land confiscation, and political prisoners.

Areas of Concern

Afghanistan:

Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to have a peace jirga to negotiate peace deals with the Taliban.

Iraq:

Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, known for leading two uprisings against American forces following the 2003 US invasion, returned to Iraq on January 6 after a three-year absence.

Pakistan:

The policeman who assassinated Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab who opposed Pakistan's blasphemy laws, told others of his plan before he was assigned to protect the politician.

Somalia:

The United Nations envoy for Somalia called on the Transitional Federal Government to help disperse aid to those affected by a severe drought.

Created by:

Ashton Simmons, STAND Education Coordinator and Education Task Force

Be the smartest kid in the room...

standsabina — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:30:52 -0500

The Pledge 2 Protect conference is just around the corner, and 1,000 people are traveling from near and far to participate.

Whether you are traveling by train, plane, bus, or car (as long as you are not the one driving), make the most of your transit time with the Pre-Conference Readers. The E-Tem has prepared 4 pre-conference readers with essential information, impotant background documents, and thought-provoking articles to give you the background knowledge you need to make the most of the educational moments at the conference.

So download, print out, and read up!

Tell Sudan that its Actions Against Aid Organizations is Unacceptable

matthewheck — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:09:56 -0400

Sixteen humanitarian agencies have been kicked out of Darfur by the Government of Sudan. This action by Sudan will leave about 1 million Darfuris without food, water, or medical aid.

Call your Representative on Genocide Intervention Network's hotline, 1-800-GENOCIDE (1-800-436-6243) and urge them to sign onto Congressman Capuano's letter to President Hu of China, Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa and African Union Chairman Muammar Qadhafi. These are Sudanese allies that must be urged to tell Sudan that its action against these humanitarian aid organizations is unacceptable.

Visit 1800Genocide.org to read more about the situation, and call your Representative today.

Darfur Rebels 101: new strategy paper from ENOUGH

sredding — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:37:43 -0500

The Darfur Peace Agreement seems like a long time ago – it was 2006, and the rebel movement showed its fracture lines to the world when of the three main rebel forces invited to the table signed the agreement (the SLA Minni Minawi) and the other two refused (SLA Abdel Wahid and the Justice and Equality Movement).Since then, the rebel groups have split into even more factions – some significant military and political players, and some just random bandits who are using the conflict as an excuse for violence and profit. And every attempt at a peace process since has failed.

The Government of Sudan and the international community have both used the splintering of rebel groups as an excuse for the often embarrassing state of the Darfur peace process, saying the rebels can’t decide on a unified platform. In a new strategy paper entitled “Darfur Rebels 101,” the ENOUGH Project, points out that this is only partially true: in reality, despite all the splinter groups, the main rebel groups currently relevant to the peace process are for the most part the same ones that participated in the DPA. Furthermore, there have been enough common goals expressed by all groups that any serious peace process would in fact have some points of unity to start working from.

Click here to read the full report, here to listen to a podcast of ENOUGH’s research team discussing the situation, and here for a slideshow with more information on the different rebel factions.

It is now more important than ever to understand who the rebels really are: the past week has been marked by severe fighting between JEM and SLA-MM and the Government that has displaced tens of thousands of Darfuris. With new peace efforts facilitated by Qatar to begin soon, the questions of which groups to involve and why are at the forefront. What is clear is that confusion should be no excuse for delay and uncertainty in the peace process.

-Nina McMurry, STAND Education Coordinator

Call Your Senators Today!

mtiernan — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:02:20 -0500

Today, take some time to make sure that Sudan is a top priority from Day 1 of Barack Obama's presidency.

Join student activists across the country by calling 1-800-GENOCIDE to speak with your Senator's office.

In early January, the Senate has a unique opportunity to make Sudan a priority for the incoming Obama administration. How? President-elect Obama's nominees to to key foreign policy positions – like Secretary of State and UN Ambassador – cannot take office until they are confirmed by the Senate. Nominees Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice will have to answer questions from Senators about their priorities and plans during confirmation hearings.

Call 1-800-GENOCIDE right now and ask your Senator to make sure the nominees lay out their Sudan plans during the confirmation hearings.

The nominees will appear before the Senate in January. Will your Senator ask about Sudan?

Call 1-800-GENOCIDE (1-800-436-6243) and speak to your Senator today!

Thought You Missed STANDFast? There's Still Time!

lindseywoolf — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:09:05 -0500

Congratulations to everyone who had a successful STANDFast! I am so excited to hear about everyone's events - I counted more than 40 events on facebook alone on December 3rd! I know there were many more events that took place before the 3rd, and guess what - you can still host an event! It's not too late!

December 3rd has passed - but STANDFast isn't over. As long as you are willing to STANDFast against genocide, you can still plan an event at your school or in your community. Though STANDFast was on December 3rd, you can still hold an event and have 100% of your proceeds donated to civilian protection efforts in Darfur and Burma as long as they are clearly marked for STANDFast.

STANDFast is not only an opportunity to raise money for GI-NET's Civilian Protection Program, but is also the perfect opportunity to raise awareness in your campus and community about the conflicts in Darfur and Burma. Whether you hold a movie night, throw a party, host a speaker panel or a benefit concert, or simply table in your quad or cafeteria - you CAN make a difference while demonstrating to your friends, families, and communities that you STAND against genocide. And it's not too late to get started planning your event today. No matter how small your chapter is - or even if you don't have a chapter at all - you can still host an event! (E-mail your Regional Outreach Coordinator to find out how)

Given the weight of the nature of the crime we stand against - genocide - it is often easy to get disheartened by both the violent nature of these atrocities and the perceived indifference of much of the international community. Yet through my experience as STANDFast Coordinator, I have discovered that though we may be overwhelmed at times, we are an extremely talented and passionate group of activists committed to uniting students and their communities; a group that will not, and cannot, stand silent in the face of genocide and mass atrocity. A group that STANDFasts against genocide not only on December 3rd, but every day.

We are what CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour would call "Voices of hope in the face of evil," which is also the title of her recent essay, a reflection on her new documentary on genocide, "Scream Bloody Murder," premiering December 4th at 9 pm ET on CNN. I will leave you with this quote, which I hope inspires and encourages you, as it does me:

"We're always told that evil happens when good men do nothing. And the question -- my question as a reporter and as a witness to history is: Will we ever learn? Or will I or my children or my successors be reporting on this same kind of atrocity and inhumanity for years and years to come? This is what I don't understand about the human race. So thank goodness for the few good men and women who summon the courage to do something in the face of evil, to stand up and confront it. They give me hope."

Thank you for giving me hope, and for being a part of the movement to end genocide. Remember, it's not too late to STANDFast against genocide - so get started today.

Your Essential STANDFast Toolkit

standsabina — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:35:37 -0500

There is a week left before STANDFast: here is the essential toolkit with two brand new tools highlighted:

Bring it to your Chapter:
- Download the STANDFast Essentials Podcast, where you can run through the essentials of STANDFast on your computer or iPod while running, driving, or taking a break from schoolwork. (to be posted tomorrow!)
- Learn background information about the conflict in Darfur and the rundown on how Civilian Protection works here
- Learn background information about the conflict in Burma and the rundown on how Civilian Protection works here
- Get the full run-down of Civilian Protection from GI-Net’s website.
Bring it to your Campus:
- For when you need to explain STANDFast in 15 seconds or less: the STANDFast one-pager.
- Did you know your region has a partner camp in Chad? STAND has paired up every region with a refugee camp for Darfuris in Chad, and encourages you to use this connection and the stories it brings with it to bring the camps to your campus.
- Give the big pictureand the breakdown on the Civilian Protection programs to your friends and classmates
- It’s time to get your campus to STANDFast with you: here are some tips for fundraising and sources of funding,
- Let your campus know they are part of a network of notable fastersand keep your chapter inspired with success stories
Bring it to your Community:
- Bring the cause of Civilian Protecton outside the front doors of your school and out into the rest of the world: mobilize your community to protect vulnerable communities in Darfur and Burma
- Get the word out through the press: take 10 easy steps to get the press you want and get your message across, through tried-and-true Op-Eds and Letters and new creative media like ads and video blogs.
Bring it to Congress:
- Use STANDFast as an opportunity to inform your elected officials of the need for civilian protection, and of the great work that your chapter is doing to fill the hole in civilian protection

Continuing the Conversation on Congo

standsabina — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:07:06 -0500

This past weekend at STAND’s National Student Conference, many of you attended the “Introducing Congo” panel and heard from experts about the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC. Throughout the rest of the conference, and during the workshop on STAND’s evolution into a multi-conflict organization, I heard from many of you who were excited to learn more about the Congo and to discuss how STAND can and should engage.

Given events over the past two weeks, this is a particularly apt time to turn out attention to the conflict in DRC. Last week, ethnic Tutsi rebels led by General Laurent Nkunda launched a major offensive in the east of the country, threatening to take the provincial capital of Goma. This resurgence of violence has put tens of thousands of lives newly at risk and threatens to completely unravel an internationally-backed peace process and spark a return to regional war. The UN, the United States, Britain, France, and members of the South African Development Community (SADC) have all stepped in to try to restore stability, but the situation remains volatile.

Join STAND tonight at 9 pm EST to discuss the latest news from the region, the implications of the current situation, and any other questions, comments, or thoughts you have about Congo. Just call (269)-320-8300 and punch in the pincode 349902# when asked. We look forward to talking with you all soon!

-Nina McMurry, Congo Education Coordinator

Meet the STAND Media Team!

sredding — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:10:16 -0400

Have you emailed media@standnow.org?

The STAND Media Team is ready to help your chapter get the media attention it deserves! Our Regional Media Coordinators - Sejal, Monique, Jenny, Libby, and Kaden - can't wait to meet you; you've just got to email them first.

Seriously, they'll work with you to do it all. They'll work with a media point person in your chapter to identify a list of media contacts at newspapers, radio, tv, and blogs in your area, develop and send a media advisory and press release, and brainstorm other creative ways to get the word out about your event.

For media help, you can also check out the Get Media section of the STAND website.