ME and Ophelia

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WHITE HOUSE
Reconsiders its policy on crisis in Sudan

June 11 Nairobi, Kenya NY Times: White House reconsiders its policy on crisis in Sudan.

Further reading via All Africa article on Sudan "45 Members Of Congress Call On Kofi Annan To Travel To Darfur".

Blog updated here on Monday June 14, 17.00 PM with these two links:

June 14 OCHA IRIN - The US government is considering whether the mass displacements and killings in western Sudan's Darfur region constitute genocide, according to US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

June 11 US Department of State - Interview by Marc Lacey of the New York Times.
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Blog updated here on Saturday June 11, 21.50 PM to insert this post by Jim Moore:

Jim Moore has a direct link to the NY Times report in his latest post. Below is an extract from Jim's post. I hope you can help by mentioning the Sudan or linking to http://passionofthepresent.org so your "voice" will show up on feeds such as Technorati, Feedster, Google etc:

Tipping point opportunity to make a breakthrough on Sudan!! Can RSS stop a genocide? Please help!

"There is a major, must-read story in the New York Times today about George Bush considering tougher action on Sudan.  The administration is considering declaring the Sudan situation  a "genocide," which will trigger an international responsibility to intervene under the genocide treaty that most nations  have signed--incluing the United States.  There is also discussion within the US administration of taking action against individual Sudanese leaders who are supporting the genocide.  Overall, these are important moves that the US is considering, with very good consequences for Sudan, and also for human rights in general. 

The story in the Times appears to be a trial balloon being floated by United States Secretary of State Colin  Powell and others in the administration, to test public support for such  action.  Needless to say, this is the moment for supporters of Sudan to act. 

We may well be at a tipping point in terms of the US government's willingness to call genocide for what it is, and the US willingness to act in support of human rights.

This is a critical moment--this weekend and the early part of next week, to express your support for action!  Anything you can do will help!

One thing you might consider, if you are involved in a church or temple or mosque is to announce this possible turning point  this weekend  at services, and ask congregation members to each find ways to spread the word and give voice to our desire for action."
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June 12, 2004 Alert from Passion of the present: "White House Reconsiders Its Policy on Crisis in Sudan" (from New York Times Saturday June 12, 2004): "A breakthrough may be near in the White House policy on Sudan. As reported today in the New York Times, the US government is "weighing whether conditions have risen to the level of genocide."

Bush officials say they are considering whether what is happening in Darfur amounts to genocide. So far, the administration has only used the term ethnic cleansing. The officials say the are also considering sanctions on individual Sudanese officials tied to the displacement.

The story in the Times this morning includes a telephone interview with Colin Powell on yesterday (Friday). If you are reading this you can help by circulating this story, and by emailing or calling your government representatives or anyone else who can help fan this flame now. Thanks so very much!"
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Blog update June 12 10.09 AM with this insert: (IOL:AFP) SA to send military observers to Sudan - "South Africa has received a formal request to send 10 high-ranking officers to the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan as part of an African mission to monitor a ceasefire, a defence spokesperson said yesterday.

"I can confirm that the Department of Defence has received a request from the African Union to send 10 military observers to Sudan," Defence Ministry spokesperson Sam Mkhwanzai said. "It is envisaged that if they are deployed, they will perform their duties at the AU headquarters, for example being sector commanders, team leaders and people in the information technology (IT) environment," he told AFP.

The AU this week set up mission headquarters in al-Fashir, in the northern part of Darfur, to monitor a ceasefire between rebels and the Khartoum government with its allied militia. President Thabo Mbeki announced the mission to Sudan in Washington on Thursday after talks with American Secretary of State Colin Powell."
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Note re sanctions: June 12 SA report mainly on G8 meeting - "Addressing about 300 Sudanese and Egyptian intellectuals in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, on Thursday, First Vice-President Ali Osman Taha said millions of dollars had been kept from Sudan by economic sanctions. This block on funding, he added, had prevented the development of Darfur, thereby disposing the region to conflict. The sanctions were imposed after President Omar Bashir, who seized power from the elected government of prime minister Sadiq al Mahdi in 1989, allowed Sudan to become a haven for Islamic terrorists such as Osama bin Laden."

Note also, In same report, new vaccine that boosts immune system: "In addition, they called on scientists to hasten the development of an Aids vaccine. Australian researchers are currently testing a vaccine that controls the amount of HIV in people living with the virus, by boosting their immune systems. Washington has promised to give $500-million to fund this research. That’s good news for a continent where an estimated 26,6-million people have contracted HIV -- and where about 3,2-million new infections occurred last year alone, according to the Joint UN Programme on HIV/Aids."
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ONE MAP TELLS THE WHOLE STORY
US Department of State Sudan maps

One map tells the whole story: see example of Destroyed Village near Shataya (206 structures destroyed) - the red areas indicate remaining healthy vegetation, the black dots were homes.

[Courtesy US Department of State Sudan maps hosted at ReliefWeb - posted by Patrick Hall]
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Note: Ref my post yesterday on report from Cairo "Sudan Blames West for Darfur Conflict". Here is a similar report, slightly more detailed, dated June 11, via aljazeerah: "Sudan Blames West for Darfur Conflict".