Sudan: The Passion of the Present

Thanks

Blogging has not, alas, stopped the genocide in Sudan. Yet it is time for at least a few thanks. Thanks for helping Sudan with your links, emails, comments, and blogging. In our ecosystem is our influence. Technorati gives an index of membership in this site's biome, almost comprehensively. And Feedster provides a daily view of who is writing about the crisis.

To Sudanese who comment on this site and others: Your personal insights are essential. Part of what we are doing here together is constructing a kind of social ecological bridge, to bring us together. Thank you.

Ingrid Jones turned her own personal blog into one heavily focused on Sudan, and contributed consistent, thoughtful, compelling writing and community organizing--and she is now examining how to research the impact of this effort and others like it. Thanks.

Glenn Reynolds brings the power of his insightful, well-linked writing to a large community of thoughtful, involved readers. See especially this post yesterday, which makes the genocide case in about three devastating links. Thank you.

Someone is responsible for the Japanese version of this blog. We don't know who (it is autogenerated)--we stumbled upon it while examining the list of referrers.

War Nerd's black-humored, well-researched account is a mind-blower.

And there are so many more...

We have much to do, but we have also made some progress. Thanks.

July 1 morning press: Assessing the impact of Colin Powell's and Kofi Annan's visits to Darfur Sudan

Most mainline press have stories this morning (Thursday, July 1). The USA Today reporter Barbara Slavin captured the perspective of camp members present for Secretary Powell's visit.

But Leila and thousands of other refugees who chased after Powell as he walked among them and mobbed his entourage in 100-degree heat did not know who he was — only that he was someone important who might finally bring help.

Christopher Marquis and Marc Lacey writing in The New York Times conveyed the atmosphere of the crowded scene:

During Mr. Powell's quick visit to northern Darfur, youths eager for a look at him climbed atop pallets of American-donated wheat and vegetable oil, only to be shooed off by a soldier flailing a whip. Women draped in veils herded wide-eyed children chasing Mr. Powell's group. Young men sidled up to reporters to confide their disdain for the government — and their fear of it.

"We want this government out," whispered one man, who said he had lost 14 relatives to the violence. "They kill our families." He disappeared as quickly as he had surfaced, saying, "They watch me," before melting into the crowd.

Also good are those in the Guardian, Financial Times.

On the diplomatic level there seems to be a stalemate. The Sudanese government denies its guilt. Both the US and the UN talk tough but ultimately dance around the genocide issue in hopes of getting the Sudanese government to help its own people.

The US is circulating a draft UN Security Council resolution placing sanctions on the Arab militias, and mandating review of the situation in 30 days if the "atrocities" are not stopped. Unfortunately, the proposed UN draft does not call the situation "genocide," does not address the complicity of the Sudanese government, and does not call for a UN peacekeeping force to protect the victims. According to USA Today:

U.S. officials began circulating a draft United Nations resolution Wednesday that would impose an arms embargo and travel ban on the Janjaweed. But while the measure vaguely threatens more widespread sanctions if the situation in Darfur does not improve, it does not take any action against the oil-rich Sudanese government, as some human rights groups and Africa analysts have urged. And there is resistance from security council members such as China, which has investments in Sudan's oil fields.

Meanwhle the Guardian reports that Kofi Annan expressed optimism.

"I think we should be able to make some real progress in the next 24 to 48 hours," Mr Annan told senior Sudanese ministers yesterday.

It is hard to understand Mr. Annan's point of view.

Perhaps the most compelling closing statements are those of Sudanese who are writing on this blog.

John Ukec Lueth wrote the following yesterday:

A government that has unleached such terror can not be pressured to undo what they created. It was easy to arm [the janjaweed] but it will be very difficult to disarm the janjaweed even if the Government is serious to stop the genocide.

Since 1955 Southern Sudanese have been crying loud and the World never heeded to our cries.Time has come that for a military presence in both Darfur and Southern Sudan to put an end to Arab genocide of the Africans...

Colin Powell's muted pressure is taken lightly by NIF. It is frustrating that Annan and Powell--Sons of Africa and of African origin--are unable to stop this genocide. Send troops now!!! That is the only action that will stop the killing, rape and terror.

Another person writing on the blog yesterday, identified only as "a Sudanese" had this to say:

The regime in Sudan is very unpopular and dangerous. It is true that they respond, sometimes, to pressure from the international community. But they are still an Islamist regime that is bent on ruling with an iron fist.

Sudan is a very rich country. The majority of Sudanese people are moderate muslims, and harbour great respect for America and the west in general. They have no quarrel with Western/Universal values of freedom and opportunity.

This is why the International community and the USA should interfere as soon as possible to save the lives of people in Darfur region, and to exert more pressure on the regime to change forever, or be changed for good. The world can not afford another failing state in the heart of Africa and the Middle East and the Red Sea.

Colin Powell stonewalled by Sudanese government

Colin Powell's meetings in Sudan are being characterised by senior officials as unproductive. In a widely circulated Reuters story by Saul Hudson, a senior state department official had this to say,

"They are in a state of denial. They are in a state of avoidance. They are trying to obfuscate and avoid any consequences," said the official, who asked not to be named.

..To add to the international pressure, the United States plans to share the draft of a U.N. Security Council resolution on Darfur with other members in New York Wednesday, he added.

For most of his flight to Darfur, Powell held talks with Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail on how to deal with the Darfur crisis. In Khartoum Tuesday evening Powell met Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

Bashir has promised to disarm the Janjaweed and give the relief organizations access to the region.

But the senior U.S. official said: "He (Bashir) has said these things before. We'll have to see what they actually do."

A more analytical account of the positions of the parties has just been posted by the United Nations Regional Information Networks on AllAfrica.com.

Must-read editorial: What really can be done by the world's nations to help in Darfur

Joseph Siegle, the Douglas Dillon fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, has a must-read editorial in this morning's (Wednesday, June 30) Christian Science Monitor. Excerpts:

As with the other instances of the international community rolling back ethnic cleansing, decisive action is required: Action from the US - and, indispensably, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the European Union, and the African Union (AU). Politically, all of these actors must unambiguously and forcefully condemn the ethnic cleansing in Darfur. Having violated the terms of membership, Sudan should be prevented from voting in the UN. And its leaders must be held personally accountable. International travel by senior government officials and their families should be barred, their personal assets frozen, and the prospect of war-crimes charges against General Bashir and his ruling clique brandished.

..Economically, pending resolution of war-crimes charges, claims can be made against Sudan's oil exports for compensation to the victims in Darfur - as well as to reimburse the international community for the humanitarian resources expended to ameliorate this manufactured crisis. Simultaneously, sanctions against Sudan's oil exports can be instituted. Shippers caught transporting Sudanese oil would lose their tankers and cargo. The skyrocketing premiums on insurance and freight charges would surely add pressure on Sudan's primary customers - China, Malaysia, and South Korea - to curtail these purchases even if moral suasion alone would not.

.."Never again," is the mandate forever etched into our collective consciousness by the Holocaust. Yet, without an established international protocol for responding to genocide, honoring this mandate is never automatic - as we saw in Rwanda. Preventing it this time depends on a quorum of global leaders acting in unison. By so doing, they can prevent this disaster from becoming a catastrophe and forever staining their places in history.

A problem, as I see it, is that the world does not have a single body charged with monitoring for genocides and "certifying" those that emerge. We have a treaty that requres intervention in the case of genocide, but no way to trigger the application of the treaty. As a result, we requre the "quorum of global leaders" that Seigle properly asserts is necessary for action in Sudan. My observation is that we did not get such a quorum in either Nazi Germany or in Rwanda, and we have so far failed to get a quorum on Sudan. I pray we see a strong quorum in the next few days.

Colin Powell meets with president of Sudan

The first stories are being posted of Colin Powell's meeting Tuesday night with the president of Sudan. New York Times, USAToday, The Scotsman, Reuters, BBC.

Here are excerpts from the Washington Post story that will be in the paper tomorrow (Wednesday morning).

..Secretary of State Colin L. Powell...met Tuesday night with Lt. Gen. Omar Hassan Bashir, Sudan's president, to deliver a blunt message that the situation has become intolerable.

..Powell..emerged from the meetings with Bashir and other senior Sudanese leaders to report that he received a "very clear statement" from Bashir that he would "remove any bureaucratic impediment" that is blocking delivery of aid.

Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail, standing next to Powell, insisted that there was "no famine . . . no epidemic of diseases." But he acknowledged that "we still have to do more" because of the onset of the rainy season in Darfur. Sudanese officials have contended that the foreign news media is exaggerating conditions in the region.

Powell came armed with satellite photos showing whole villages wiped out, and with statistics demonstrating that most camps with more than 10,000 civilians lack food and water for sufficient nutrition.

Here is my favorite line in the story:

Since Powell's trip was announced, there have been reports that the government has warned displaced civilians about what to say to the secretary when he arrives. The government also announced this week that 3,000 civilians voluntarily left the camp that Powell plans to visit.

The Washington Post will also run a front page story on rape as an instrument of ethnic cleansing in Sudan. This story is quite disturbing--I post the headlines here, as well as the link to the Post.

'We Want to Make a Light Baby' Arab Militiamen in Sudan Said to Use Rape as Weapon of Ethnic Cleansing

By Emily Wax
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, June 30, 2004; Page A01

In the field in Darfur, Sudan

While the world focuses on Colin Powell's trip to Darfur, reports continue to flow out of the camps. Here is one particularly detailed and graphic story, posted over the past weekend by the BBC's Africa Correspondent, Hilary Andersson.

Powell arrives in Sudan's capital

US Secretary of State Colin Powell has arrived in Sudan:

Speaking to reporters while flying to the east African country, Powell called the situation in the Darfur province horrific and said prompt action is needed. "The death rate is going to go up significantly over the next several months," he said, regardless of how quickly outside aid be provided.

Immediately after arriving, Powell met with President Omar el-Bashir. Aside from restraining ethnic Arab militias, which have been attacking Darfur's black population, Powell said he planned to urge el-Bashir to reopen a peace process for the region and to allow full access to Darfur for humanitarian aid groups and relief supplies.

On the crucial question of declaring the crisis a "genocide" Powell expressed reluctance:

[Powell] said the situation in Darfur is moving toward genocide, "but we are not there yet."

He added that he is aware of the possibility that Sudanese authorities may try to mask the gravity of the situation in Darfur by emptying camps for displaced people that Powell plans to visit.

"I will take into account everything I hear," he said. "I think I can sort out where people are constrained from speaking. We have been watching these places through a variety of means," he said. "We know what they look like, how many people have been there in the past, and if suddenly there are not that many people there tomorrow, I will take that all into my computer."

Here is another dispatch by a reporter on Powell's aircraft, indicating a stronger tone on Powell's part.

Colin Powell begins visit to Sudan today

US Secretary of State Colin Powell begins his important visit to Sudan today. Major questions: How tough will Powell be with the Sudanese government, how will the leaders respond, and what will be the consequences if, as expected, Sudan continues to deny the genocide?

Indications that Powell plans to take a strong stand include US government's drumbeating prior to the visit, including the release of satellite photos documenting the destruction on the ground. Currently Voice of America is making strong statements about the need for the Sudanese government to stop the "ethnic cleansing" in Darfur, Sudan--and about the urgency of Secretary Powell's visit.

On the other hand, the US government has not yet declared the situation a genocide, and has not committed to military intervention to stop the slaughter on the ground and to protect the advance of aid efforts in Darfur. In a story being widely circulated today, Africa Action called the Powell trip "Dangerously Naive" and demanded stonger action against the Sudanese government. This story was at the top in Google news "Sudan" when I just checked, and top on AllAfica.com. Africa Action's point of view is that it is impossible to negotiate in good faith with the genocidal, highly manipulative regime in Sudan. Glenn Reynolds on Instapundit.com is out in front this morning with a summary on Sudan--thanks Glenn! He includes a link to a story that suggests Human Rights Watch seems to be asking for military intervention.

Meanwhile--and predictably--the government of Sudan is taking many steps to silence voices on the ground--ranging from the already reported intimidation of refugees, to banning an anti-US, anti-Israel demonstration that was planned for today, and a broad ban on all demonstrations as part of "security measures" for the visit. A government state newspaper is also claimed yesteday that thousands of refugees are leaving camps and returning home on the eve of the visit. BTW none of these steps are doing much to stop the continual flow of real news from Sudan and Darfur, given a small world of satellite phones, the net, and NGOs.

The poblem at the "world system" level is not lack of knowledge, but lack of decisive action and a (so far) unwillingness to preempt Sudanese sovereignty in order to bring in military force to protect the victims on the ground--or at least to impose a no-fly-zone on government bombers. The Sudanese government is correct in its assessment that what is at stake is its ability to control its own internal affairs. Under the genocide treaty, which the US signed in 1948, the world's governments are obligated to take preemptive, protective action in the case of a genocide within any one nation's borders.

The government says it welcomes the visit of Secretary Powell but rejects interference in its internal affairs:

A statement issued by President Umar Hasan al-Bashir on 24 June had said "foreign quarters" were using Darfur as "an alternative entry to interference in Sudan's internal affairs", according to the Khartoum-based Al-Sahafah daily newspaper.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Uthman Isma'il reportedly added during a press conference on Saturday that he rejected "any pressure" by the US and UN concerning "conditions" in Darfur during the impending visits.

Washington Post Monday morning: Refugees in Sudan Told To Stay Silent About Abuses

Here are excerpts from a disturbing story published in Monday morning's Washington Post:

Refugees in Sudan Told To Stay Silent About Abuses

By Emily Wax
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, June 28, 2004

ABU SHOUK, Sudan, June 27 -- The Sudanese villagers in this western region of Darfur were bombed. They were raped. Their huts were burned and their grain pillaged. Now, those who fled the chaos say they are being silenced.

The Sudanese government dispatched 500 men last week to this sweltering camp of 40,000 near El Fashir, capital of North Darfur state, the refugees and aid workers said. The men, some dressed in civilian clothes, others in military uniforms, warned the refugees to keep quiet about their experiences when Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan visit the region next week..

.."They kicked us and said, 'Stop talking,' " said Malki Ali Abduallah, 25, who fled the fighting six months ago with six children and a cooking pot. "I said, 'No, no, no. I am angry. I am tired. I don't want to be quiet.

"You already stole my life. What else can you take?" she recounted saying, sweating in the 115 degree midday heat as 40 people gathered around her in support, many telling similar stories.

Near the crowd, however, stern-faced men wearing safari outfits, pilot sunglasses and leopard-skin slippers listened in and made calls on cell phones. The villagers and the aid workers said the men were among those dispatched by the government.

The men also told the villagers that they would impersonate victims when the U.S. and U.N. delegations arrived and tell them that the government had done nothing wrong and that rebels operating against the government in the region were to blame, the villagers and aid workers said..

The Arab militias operate brazenly. Here, from later in the article, is an excerpt about the Wolf and Brownback visit to the same camp on Sunday:

..Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) visited the camp Sunday to survey the humanitarian crisis, which the United Nations and other aid agencies have said will kill hundreds of thousands from famine and disease if Sudan fails to allow greater access to the area and rein in the marauding Arab militiamen, known as Janjaweed. Four pickup trucks carrying dozens of militiamen raced around the area as the U.S. delegation toured the camp.

Weekly Summary of events re: Darfur genocide and the US response

1. The government of Sudan continues to deny there is a problem. But in the US there is new focus on stopping the genocide in Darfur.
[Click on the image at right to see one small example of satellite pictures that document the destruction of villages.]

2. US Secretary of State Colin Powell will visit Sudan the middle of next week, at the same time that United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan will be in the country.

3. Powell is reportedly poised to take a much stronger stance than Annan, including threatening Sudan with sanctions and with war crimes prosecutions of the leaders of the genocide.

4. The US government position is backed by satellite images showing destruction in Darfur that is targeted only at blacks, and not on Arabs, hard data consistent with "ethnic cleansing" and genocide.

Natsios said the State Department and USAID purchased commercial satellite photos showing 576 villages, including 300 that have "been completely destroyed" and 76 that have been "severely damaged. The rest are fine, and they are all Arab. It's clear that ethnic cleansing is going on here," Natsios said. (Washington Post, subscription required)

5. On Wednesday the US Senate passed an aid measure for Darfur, co-sponsored by Senators DeWine and Durbin. A similar measure had already passed the US House of Representatives.

6. Also on Wednesday, Pierre-Richard Prosper, Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, gave testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives, International Relations Committee, Subcommittee on Africa that included the names of the Janjaweed leaders who the US believes are directly leading the genocide, as well as the following statement: (Full text available from AllAfrica.com)

There is the question of whether this is genocide. We see indicators of genocide, and there is evidence that points in that direction. However, we are not in a position to confirm. To do so, we need Darfur to be opened up.

I have requested a visa to travel to Darfur and personally examine the situation. Despite this request having been submitted weeks ago, it is still pending. In the meantime, we have told the Sudanese that we are appalled by what is happening in Darfur and have indicated that there is evidence of continued Sudanese Government support of militias and knowledge of the abuses.

7. Wednesday, Senators John McCain and Mike DeWine had a very strong co-authored editorial published in the Washington Post.

8. Wednesday, the US Congress' Congressional Black Caucus joined with NGO Africa Action to call for US intervention in Sudan and for labeling the crisis a genocide.

9. Thursday the US Holocaust Museum shut down in order to bring attention to Darfur, as did its sister organization in the UK.

10. On Saturday two US Senators with long concern for Sudan and Darfur, Senators Brownback of Kansas and Wolf of Virginia, arrived in the capital of Sudan and are expected to go to Darfur on Sunday.

11. Saturday leaders of the US and the European Union nations issued a joint statement on Sudan, from their summit in Ireland.

12. Because of the Powell trip, major news organizations can be expected to run stories on Darfur this weekend and next week. Here is a good summary on MSNBC. One of the best editorials is by Nicholas Kristoff in the New York Times today, which starts off:

Dithering as Others Die

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

The New York Times: June 26, 2004

LONG THE SUDAN-CHAD BORDER — The ongoing genocide in Darfur is finally, fortunately, making us uncomfortable. At this rate, with only 250,000 more deaths it will achieve the gravitas of the Laci Peterson case.

Hats off to Colin Powell and Kofi Annan, who are both traveling in the next few days to Darfur. But the world has dithered for months already. Unless those trips signal a new resolve, many of the Darfur children I've been writing about over the last few months will have survived the Janjaweed militia only to die now of hunger or diarrhea.

One of the really impressive things is the non-partisan nature of the growing support for Sudan. Right and left, all colors, all faith communities.

Of course, nothing really matters except progress on the ground. For a feeling of the reality in the field, read Marcus Prior's Darfur aid worker's diary. All our talk is worthless unless action is taken.

Expect the talk to heat up next week, with more leaders speaking up as people of all persuasions grasp the enormity of the tragedy in Darfur. I pray that this leads to decisive action, soon.

[Apologies for not covering Africa, Asia, the UK and Europe in this review, but Daniell is off. If readers will do surveys or send important items, by way of the comments or email, I will be very thankful!]