Today in Darfur:

[applegrove]

Here are some posts from yesterday & today:

This is a sample of breaking stories on Darfur from SAVE DARFUR

SAVE DARFUR: Latest News

http://www.savedarfur.org/go.php?q=latestNews.html


May 23, 2005 - Egyptian Parliament approves sending troops to Darfur

Sudan Tribune

The Egyptian People's Assembly on Monday approved a decision by President Husni Mubarak on sending peacekeeping forces to the western Sudanese region of Darfur for a period of six years at the request of United Nations.



- EU pledges logistical support for African Union in Darfur

Politinfo.com

European Union foreign and defense ministers have pledged to provide aircraft to transport thousands of African troops to Sudan's Darfur region to help end the conflict there. The ministers also called for an international inquiry into recent events in Uzbekistan and warned Iran to continue its freeze on nuclear activities.
Several E.U. member countries have offered logistical support and equipment to the African Union as it expands its peacekeeping mission in Darfur.



- Security police censor Khartoum Monitor

Index on Censorship

Sudanese state security police banned an entire issue of the Khartoum Monitor newspaper after the editor refused to withdraw a Reuters report and a Monitor editorial on rioting at a displaced persons camp south of the capital, in which six civilians including a baby and a teenager, and 14 policemen died.



- AU lists military hardware it needs from donors for Darfur peacekeeping

Sudan Tribune

The African Union will press donors for six helicopter gunships, 116 armored personnel carriers and other equipment for its peacekeepers struggling to end the humanitarian crisis in Sudan's western Darfur region.



- Darfur study aims to inform, inspire change

The Dartmouth

The Dartmouth Lawyer's Association called for immediate action by the United States government and the United Nations to alleviate the suffering of displaced persons in Darfur in a recently released study. Copies of the study, published two weeks ago, were sent to congressional leaders, members of the Bush administration and the United Nations.



- Our genocidal ally in Khartoum

Jewish World Review

George W. Bush was the first world leader to directly rebuke Sudan's murderous ruler, Lt. Gen. Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir, for his government's responsibility for the mass killings, rapes and brutal displacement of black Africans in the Darfur region of Sudan last year. And the then Secretary of State Colin Powell forthrightly and accurately called these atrocities genocide.
But Bush has been silent for some time about Darfur, where the death toll is at least 400,000, many murdered by Sudanese armed forces and their accomplices, the savage Arab Janjaweed.




- Rape a life-threatening epidemic

Agencia Internacional de Noticias (Spain)

Aurelie Lamaziere helped compile the recent MSF report on sexual violence there. This is her story of how she and the MSF staff in the clinics heard those voices and uncovered some of what the women had been through.



- March for Darfur starts "Week of Conscience" in Cincinnati

The News-Record

The University of Cincinnati chapter of Students Taking Action Now: Darfur, kicked off the "Week of Conscience" with a Freedom Walk Sunday.


http://www.savedarfur.org/go.php?q=latestNews.html

(this is a sample of breaking stories on Darfur from SAVE DARFUR)

Make it a a daily link today - don't miss out on actions in your area!

Originally posted by Tom Yossarian Joad

BRUSSELS: Barring a last-minute hitch, NATO is set to make its debut in Africa by backing up an African Union peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region — although it is keen to be discreet..

NATO head Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who is to take part in a Darfur donors’ conference in Addis Ababa this week, said recently he was “confident” that the military alliance’s member states would take up an AU request for help. But it is keen to stress that the African body will be in charge of the mission. “NATO agrees this must remain and be seen to remain an AU mission with NATO intervening only in a support role,” said a NATO official, who declined to be named. The AU so far has a 2,200-strong peacekeeping force, but this could rise to more than 7,700 by September, and perhaps 12,000 later on. Its deployment has been slowed by logistical problems and lack of enough air transport.

To help speed things up, the AU has asked both NATO and the European Union specifically for logistical support including troop transport and lodging, as well as training, communications equipment and other material.

But Sudan’s Foreign Minister Moustafa Osmane Ismail said NATO could only provide support to the AU on condition that there were “no troops other than Africans” on Darfur soil.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_23-5-2005_pg4_4

A place to take action:

Frome the SAVE DARFUR site:

Take Action Now
Whatever you choose to do, you will be making a difference in ending the violence in Darfur and reducing the suffering of your neighbors, even though they may live thousands of miles away.

If we all play even a small part, together we will make a very big difference.

Collect signatures for a petition calling for a strong response to the crisis in Darfur. Remember that petitions should include the names and addresses of the signatories and the petition statement should be printed on the top of each page. You can find a sample petition here. Address the petition to President Bush and send copies of the petition to your local Congressperson and Senators.

Demonstrate. Organize and/or participate in demonstrations at the Sudan Embassy in Washington D.C. and Sudan Mission and/or UN in NYC. Or organize a vigil at a local school, community center or place of worship.

Donate money to relief efforts. Make a contribution to a humanitarian organization that is providing aid to the people of Darfur. A list of several of these organizations can be found here. You can also see a list of Coalition members and their websites. Or you can donate online now to the Save Darfur Coalition's fund, putting your contribution to work for public awareness and education about the plight of the Darfurian people.

(MORE...)

http://www.savedarfur.org/go.php?q=takeActionNow.html
...<SNIP>

[Mnemosyne]

1. I wonder if NATO and AU will be as effective as the UN was in

Rwanda? :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

Thanks for the info. Such an important story and so tragic, yet I've spoken with many that have no clue about what is happening. I try to enlighten them, but usually get "We need to take care of Americans first." I got the same crap when the genocide was going on in Rwanda.

Too many here in Murka couldn't care less about anything that doesn't affect them directly and too many don't even pay attention when it does! Makes me want to knock their heads and I'm a pacifist.

[applegrove]

3. There are times when there is no excuse but to stop and notice

what is happening in other parts of the world. Sorry that is what you hear. Once is too often.

[applegrove]

4. Link to yesterday's thread on Darfur:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3692135#3695339

[applegrove]

2. Let us make today's post in the memory of 10 children in

Habila Canare Village.

There names & ages are:

Arbab Khamis,10
Suleiman Yahya, 3 months
Sherif Yahya, 2
Izhaq Abdullah, 12
Zakariah Adam Syam, 6
Amani Adam, 4
Nadia Abdel Karim, 8
Suleiman Yahya Abudigin, 14
Mohammed Ali, 12
Adam Yahya Izhaq, 7

* From Appendix D, Darfur Destroyed ... Human Rights Watch May 2004 Vol 16. No. 6(A)

http://hrw.org/reports/2004/sudan0504/

[applegrove]

5. Government of Sudan refuses outside forces. AU more than doubles

troops.

From BBC News:

Big boost to Darfur peace force

But the peacekeepers will not have a stronger mandate

The African Union has agreed to more than double the number of its peace monitors in the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur.
By September, the force should be 7,700-strong, which could be further increased to 12,000, an official said.

There are currently just 2,200 troops, with another 1,000 expected next month, to monitor an area the size of France.

....<SNIP>

Earlier this week, the AU asked NATO for logistical and financial support for its mission in Darfur. NATO is considering the request.

The Sudan government says it would accept NATO logistical support but not the presence of non-African troops.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4496509.stm

[Nothing Without Hope]

6. Thank you for this post, applegrove! Recommended for Greatest

If you haven't already done it, I'll post a link to this in the earlier thread.

Things move fast in General Discussion. I'll help keep this kicked, too.

[applegrove]

7. I got the SAVE DARFUR people to agree to let us top our post with

their "latest news". We just have to remember the links that are apparently under the titles. So that means a little fishing. But they were happy to have us copy this new feature on their site. They do it by day. And it seems include information on local vigils and demonstrations.

As long as nobody here complains...and when I put up the links to each article..nobody should.

[Nothing Without Hope]

8. Sounds good - maybe we can work out a format that is easy to use

and takes little space, easy and fast to read. I suspect some DUers run in the other direction when they open a thread and see an unusually long opening post.

If you get permission to copy more than the four paragraphs allowed by the DU rules, you will need to add a line to the DU mods to this effect near the top of the post - otherwise the post might get locked or deleted.

I am shutting down for the night soon - "see" you tomorrow!
:hi:

[applegrove]

9. Thanks for the advice. But I think if I have a link for each news item

I may not be breaking any rules. But I will forward my correspondence to the DU mods anyway.

Oh - I was copying your format. Did I err by putting it all together from the get go?

Yes - that must be it.

I learn something new every day.

[Nothing Without Hope]

10. Let me look at it again tomorrow, eh? I want to think about what

constructive comments to make if any. Right now my brain has shut down for the duration and I can't think any more.

I think you've made a great start. If tomorrow I can think of something to add to that statement, I will post it here and PM you with a headsup. (I probably will - it's those "teacher genes.")

[applegrove]

11. Excellent! All you got! Throw it at me! And have a good night. n/t