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UN must push for arrests of two wanted by ICC for crimes against humanity
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the two men almost a year ago. Nick Donovan heads the Darfur campaign at the Aegis Trust, a Britain-based non-governmental organization focused on the prevention of genocide. Donovan tells VOA the United Nations has several options available. "The U.N. Security Council can take some concrete steps such as imposing targeted sanctions like freezing the bank accounts of those who are protecting Ahmad Harun and Ali Kushayb, the two suspects," Donovan said. "In this way they can put pressure on those who are refusing to hand them over to the International Criminal Court." But the spokesman for the Sudanese embassy in London, Khalid al Mubarak, dismisses the letter as part of a campaign to demonize Sudan. He tells VOA the suspects will not be handed over to the ICC. "The International Criminal Court is itself controversial and highly discredited; for one reason, which is this that many countries including the United States are exempted from the rules relevant to the International Criminal Court," Mubarak said. "Over and above that, Sudan is not party to it, it has not ratified anything relevant to it." Mubarak says Sudan's judiciary is quite capable of trying its own accused. He says that some people accused of human rights abuses in Darfur have been tried in Sudan and received heavy sentences. He says Kushayb and Harun are not up for trial because there is no evidence against them. He also dismisses the evidence that led to their ICC indictment as vague reports and accusations by people who are not credible. Sudan Humanitarian Affairs Minister Ahmad Muhammad Harun was state interior minister at the height of the Darfur conflict. He is accused of helping to recruit Janjaweed militias and contributing to the commission of crimes against humanity. Ali Kushayb, was a senior militia leader. It is estimated more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven from their homes since the conflict in Darfur began in 2003, when southern rebels launched an attack against a government garrison. The government responded with a harsh crackdown, using regular troops and Janjaweed militias. Among those who have signed the letter to the Security Council are Carla del Ponte and Richard Goldstone, former Chief Prosecutors for the ICC tribunals for Yugoslavia and for Rwanda, Salih Mahmoud Osman, Darfuri winner of the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize and members of the Darfur Bar Association. No one is there to protect the civilian population of this remote region. Terror reigns. Gunmen hold 55 children abducted in CAR - U.N.Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:25pm GMT By Paul-Marin NgoupanaBANGUI, March 28 (Reuters) - Gunmen are holding 55 children captured in raids on villages in Central African Republic, the United Nations said on Friday, weeks after attacks that local authorities blamed on Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. A team of U.N. investigators which visited the remote area around Obo in the country's southeast concluded that local authorities were powerless to protect the population from the fighters, who also still hold 50 abducted adults. Some 300 armed men attacked the four villages between between Feb. 19 and March 10, abducting more than 150 people. They were tied with ropes at the hips and forced to carry away stolen food and supplies. Local authorities said the fighters were from the Ugandan rebel group, which became notorious for abducting children to become sex slaves or child soldiers during its 21-year war. Nearly 40 people have been released by the fighters, many of the women reporting they had been gang-raped. Over 50 adults remain in captivity and none of the 55 abducted children have been released, a U.N. spokeswoman said. "We were unable to identify who the perpetrators were, partly because several armed groups with similar modus operandi are present in the area," said Elizabeth Byrs, of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affaires in Geneva. "These acts of indiscriminate violence hitting innocent men women and children are extremely worrying and a grave violation of human rights," she said. Uganda's government said last week that LRA leader Joseph Kony had moved at least some of his forces to Central African Republic, undermining hopes he will sign a peace deal with Kampala by a March 28 deadline. An LRA spokesman has insisted Kony will sign, although the date might slip to early April. In return for peace, Uganda will ask the International Criminal Court (ICC) to drop arrest warrants for Kony and two of his deputies. Central African Republic's north has increasingly fallen prey to bandits and armed groups in recent years as President Francois Bozize's government has battled rebel factions and the spillover from the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region. The recent attacks in the south, however, represent a spread of regional insecurity from a different source. The LRA usually operates in northern Uganda, southern Sudan and northeast Democratic Republic of Congo, where Kony is believed to be hiding. The United Nations estimates 1 million people in Central African Republic have been affected by conflict -- or roughly a third of the population -- of whom 100,000 fled into neighbouring countries and 197,000 are internally displaced. A U.N. appeal for $96 million this year from the international community to tackle the rising insecurity has so far received only $39 million. (Reporting by Daniel Flynn in Dakar and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; editing by Alistair Thomson)
Australia steps upAustralia offers officers for Darfur forceUNITED NATIONS (AFP) — Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Saturday offered to provide up to nine military officers for the planned peace force for Darfur as he slammed Khartoum's lack of cooperation. Speaking to reporters after a one-hour meeting with UN chief Ban Ki-moon here, he said he informed his host that Canberra would make available up to nine military officers to the joint UN-African Union force known as UNAMID. "The government of Sudan generally has not welcomed any more substantial military commitments from Western powers," he noted. "I regard that as unfortunate but that is the reality." Rudd also pledged an additional five million dollars in humanitarian assistance to the people of Darfur. And he expressed to Ban "our concern and frustration together with that of other states about the continued obstruction ... by the government of Sudan." Calling the festering conflict in Sudan's western region "a continuing humanitarian tragedy," he stressed that "the international community has a responsibility to act." "Our government is of the view that these matters soon need to be brought back to the UN Security Council so that the government of Sudan can be held properly to account for its continuing obstruction." Khartoum has been accused by Western powers of dragging its feet on allowing the full deployment of UNAMID which is tasked with providing assistance and protection for beleaguered Darfur civilians. When fully deployed, UNAMID is to become the UN's largest peacekeeping operation with 20,000 troops and 6,000 police and civilian personnel. But only around 9,000 troops and police are currently in place. An estimated 200,000 people have died in Darfur from the combined effects of war, famine and diseases since 2003 and more than two million have been displaced, but the Khartoum government refutes these figures and puts the death toll at 9,000. Hosted by Google Copyright © 2008 AFP. Relentless suffering for the most abandoned population I have ever visited Rapes and 150 hostages in Central African Republic: UNUNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Rebel fighters attacked villages in the Central African Republic, raping women and taking 150 hostages, including 55 children, UN officials here and in Bangui said Friday. A UN investigation into attacks on four CAR villages between February 9 and March 10 found that men and women were tied at the hips with rope and forced to march from their homes carrying stolen food and supplies. All 55 of the kidnapped children, many of them younger than 15, are still missing, although close to 40 adults have been released, the officials said. An unofficial UN report issued in Bangui earlier Friday said that the atrocities "bear all the hallmarks of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)," a notorious rebel movement in neighbouring Uganda. "In as much as we can confirm that the attacks actually took place, we were unable to identify who the perpetrators were, partly because of the fact that several armed groups with similar modus operandi are present in the region," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement Friday. OCHA said that eyewitnesses and victims told the UN team that some 300 armed men had attacked the villages of Bambouti, Gbassigbiri, Ligoua and Obob, along the Central African Republic's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. "These acts of indiscriminate violence, hitting innocent men, women and young children, are extremely worrying and a grave violation of human rights,' the office said. The CAR government has confirmed that fighters entered the country, although it was unable to positively confirm they were LRA. Uganda has said it has "reliable information" the fighters were from the LRA. LRA chief Joseph Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for war crimes and crimes against humanity. In late February, Uganda said it had signed an accord with the LRA which would see the armed militia group disarm, demobilize and be reintegrated into society. This would be the last step before a formal peace accord scheduled for April, although it has not been signed by Kony. The region where the attacks took place, which has a population of some 60,000, is relatively peaceful compared with the north of CAR, where conflicts have created 300,000 refugees. However, it is still lawless and afflicted by roaming armed groups, including heavily-armed Sudanese poachers. Published by AFP What about after April? Can anyone help raise funds? What about the USA? Check out www.wfp.org WFP = World Food Program (www.wfp.org)"A service upon which millions of people depend should not have to fear for its future every month," "The WFP's air link carries some 8,000 aid workers from 160 organisations to, from and within Darfur each month...The agencies -- which include CARE Sudan, Catholic Relief Services and Oxfam International -- said that they rely on the WFP's air service to help them deliver aid to "many of the most inaccessible, insecure and poverty-stricken areas of Sudan". In Darfur alone, the aid groups jointly assist more than 2 million people in areas currently only accessible by air, as roads are too insecure, according to the statement. Hollywood stars help sustain Darfur aid flights - WFP Fri 28 Mar 2008, 15:28 GMT GENEVA (Reuters) - Money from Europe and a charity co-founded by Hollywood actors George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle will help maintain humanitarian flights in Darfur through April, the United Nations said on Friday. The $6 million donated by Ireland, the European Union and the Clooney-backed Not On Our Watch will allow the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP) to hire helicopters and aircraft to ferry aid workers to Sudan's war-torn region for 30 days. The WFP's air link carries some 8,000 aid workers from 160 organisations to, from and within Darfur each month, WFP spokeswoman Christiane Berthiaume said. "We have received some funds which will allow us to maintain the flights for the month of April," she told a news briefing but added the reprieve is only short term as a further $71 million is needed to operate the service for the rest of 2008. "It is vital to maintain the service especially at a time when insecurity reigns," she said. The western Sudanese region of Darfur is the site of the world's largest aid operation. International experts estimate five years of conflict have killed 200,000 people and driven 2.5 million from their homes. Aid workers are increasingly at risk in Darfur where rebel groups and militias have split into factions, some of them merely bandits without political agendas who prey on civilians for their own survival. Bandits killed three WFP truck drivers in separate attacks earlier this month in Darfur and south Sudan. Securing long-term funding for humanitarian flights in Sudan is essential, 14 international aid agencies said in a joint statement issued on Friday. The agencies -- which include CARE Sudan, Catholic Relief Services and Oxfam International -- said that they rely on the WFP's air service to help them deliver aid to "many of the most inaccessible, insecure and poverty-stricken areas of Sudan". In Darfur alone, the aid groups jointly assist more than 2 million people in areas currently only accessible by air, as roads are too insecure, according to the statement. "A service upon which millions of people depend should not have to fear for its future every month," it said. VISIT WWW.WFP.ORG Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved.
German chancellor Angela Merkel: 'Nein' to China Olympics By M&C PeopleMar 29, 2008, 20:59 GMT German chancellor Angela Merkel will not attend the upcoming Summer Beijing Olympics. Ms. Merkel became the first world leader to decide not to attend the Olympics in Beijing. The Guardian (UK) reports that the EU leaders will discuss the Tibet-China crisis for the first time today, in their efforts to decide whether to boycott the Olympics. President Nicolas Sarkozy of France is rumored to side with Merkel in defiance of the British PM Gordon Brown's attending of the Olympics. Poland's prime minister, Donald Tusk and President Václav Klaus of the Czech Republic will travel to Beijing, according to the Guardian. "The presence of politicians at the inauguration of the Olympics seems inappropriate," Tusk said. "I do not intend to take part." Brown is to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader when he visits Britain in May, but is determined to be in Beijing. China is bristling under Western media exposing their one-party political system, human rights abuses, treatment of the mentally ill and minorities and state controlled media. The additional embarrassment of Steven Spielberg pulling out as artistic director of the Olympic games over their Darfur connections also is a sore point.
Changing the Rules of the Games Printed in The New York Times Magazine this weekend:On a morning in mid-February, the four staff members of Dream for Darfur sat in silence in what they call their war room, contemplating posters of Beibei the Fish and her four fellow Olympic mascots taped to the walls. In this cramped office in a shared space on the 16th floor of a downtown Manhattan Art Deco building, Beibei smiled welcomingly, as did Jingjing the giant panda, Huanhuan the red Olympic flame, Nini the green swallow and Yingying the horned orange Tibetan antelope: anime-style drawings that regardless of name appear strikingly the same, Medusa hair fused on teddy-bear faces with little-girl expressions. Once the Summer Games begin in Beijing on Aug. 8, Chinese Olympic officials plan to sell millions of the mirthful mascots; the Chinese government has planted them everywhere in the country, hanging like religious icons from the rearview mirrors of Beijing taxis, greeting guests as stuffed toys atop hotel check-in desks and buzzing above city skylines on huge billboards like hovering fairies. >> more >> What're a few thousand mines......when you have 100 million dollars worth of fighter jets, bombers, helicopter gunships- and nearly that sum invested in assault rifles, mortars and machine guns. Never mind for now that Kartoum is currently negotiating with Beijing for an additional 12 FCW fighters.Ahmed Haroun holds ministerial responsibility for Sudan's National Mine Action Office, so I guess he is the humanitarian affairs minister referred to here. He is also wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity. Khartoum throws us a crumb (what's new) but we'll take it. +++++++++++++++ Sudan to destroy anti-personnel landmines in Juba Thursday 27 March 2008. Sudan Tribune March 26, 2008 (KHARTOUM) -- The National Mine Action Centre said it will destroy next Monday in Juba some 4,997 antipersonnel landmines, as part of Sudan’s commitment toward the Ottawa Treaty, or the Mine Ban Treaty, which was ratified by Sudan in 2003. Director of the National Mine Action Center, Col. Al-Awad Al-Bashir, said Sudan has destroyed the first 4,488 of its stockpiled antipersonnel Mines on 30 April 2007 in El-Silait area, Khartoum North. Al-Awad said Sudan's move comes as part of its commitment to Ottawa Treaty which stipulates the destruction of stockpiled antipersonnel mines by the member states after 4 years of implementation of the Treaty. He pointed out that Sudan has fulfilled its commitment to the agreement before the date stipulated by the treaty, the official SUNA reported. He further said that the destruction of mines will be celebrated in Juba in presence of a number of federal and state ministers, including the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, as well as the UN's agencies working in domains of Mines. (ST) An unprecindented, long awaited and deeply appreciated response from a coalition of Muslim groups to the Darfur crisis.Muslim groups: 'Arab League must act on Darfur'This is a coalition of Muslim groups speaking out on Darfur for the first time to tie in with the Arab League summit. It's pretty strong language including condemning the Govt of Sudan of blocking UN deployment. The coalition, comprising over twenty Muslim groups, includes many international and national organisations such as human rights groups like Friends of Al-Aqsa and the Islamic Human Rights Commission; aid agencies including Muslim Aid and Islamic Aid and other Islamic groups from countries as diverse as Britain, Pakistan, Germany, Malaysia, Canada, Iran, Turkey, the US, Australia and Bahrain. In the open letter the groups criticise the lack of attention paid to the crisis so far saying, “The crisis has cost the lives of at least 200,000 Muslims yet has not yet captured the attention of the Muslim world in the way that it should.” The letter accuses the Sudanese Government of blocking the full deployment of the UN peacekeeping force by placing “many obstacles in its path” and urges the Arab League to, “call for an end to the obstructions on the deployment and call on those countries which have the capability to offer their own resources and manpower to support this for the protection of civilians.” The letter also calls on the Arab League to “contribute much more to the humanitarian operation” and to “put pressure on all sides to engage honestly in the talks and encourage all sides to show flexibility.” In the wake of increasing attacks in the past month, particularly in West Darfur, the letter also calls for the Arab League to speak out against the violence; “President Bashir has said he would consider a ceasefire but we also know that many such ceasefires have been broken in the past. The Arab League as well as calling for a ceasefire should speak out against anyone, government or rebels who breaks it.” For more details and interviews please contact: English: - Brendan Cox, Crisis Action on + 44 20 7269 9450 or + 44 7957 120 853 - Seyfeddin Kara, Islamic Human Rights Commission on + 44 20 8904 4222 Arabic - Nadim Hasbani, + 324 8533 6372 Interviewees: - Arzu Merali, Head of Research, Islamic Human Rights Commission, English only - Adam Tordjok, Darfuri Imam, English and Arabic - Ishag Mekki, Darfuri Refugee, English and Arabic The full copy of the letter with signatories is below: Dear Secretary General, We write as fellow Muslims from around the world to ask you to pay urgent attention to the crisis in Darfur. The crisis has costs the lives of at least 200,000 Muslims yet has not yet captured the attention of the Muslim world in the way that it should. There are many ways the Arab League can discharge its responsibility to help, specifically: 1) The Arab League can contribute much more to the humanitarian operation in Darfur that is keeping 3.5 million people alive in a member state of the Arab League. 2) The Sudanese Government has agreed to the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force but since that agreement has placed many obstacles in its path. As a result of this and the failure to contribute enough troops and resources, so far very few peacekeepers have been deployed and only a few Arab countries have offered substantial support. We urge the Arab League to call for an end to the obstructions on the deployment and call on those countries which have the capability to offer their own resources and manpower to support this for the protection of civilians. 3) While peacekeepers are essential it will take time to deploy them fully. To halt the killings now the Arab League can demand an immediate ceasefire from all sides. President Bashir has said he would consider a ceasefire but we also know that many such ceasefires have been broken in the past. The Arab League as well as calling for a ceasefire should speak out against anyone, government or rebels who breaks it. We are sure you agree that the killings must come to an end now. 4) Finally, while all of these steps are essential none of them is sustainable unless there is an inclusive and genuine peace process. Whilst the Arab League can not ensure this happens but they can put pressure on all sides to engage honestly in the talks and encourage all sides to show flexibility. The suffering in Darfur is on a scale few of us can imagine. It is the duty of all of us, from whatever background, wherever we are, to do what we can to alleviate it, and we urge the Arab League to show good leadership in this. We understand the concern that discussions around Darfur suggest external interference in the workings of a member state. However, recognising the gravity of the situation, it becomes incumbent on organisations like the Arab League to find a viable solution, as it is quite clear that Sudan itself needs outside support. It is now time to speak with one voice, to help the needy, protect the weak, stop the killings and build a new peace. Signed: Friends of Al-Aqsa Crescent International Islamic Aid Islamic Human Rights Commission Muslim Aid Muslim Council of Britain Muslim Association of Britain Federation of Student Islamic Societies Woman's Rights Association Against Discrimination (Turkey) Organization of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed People (Turkey) Bahrain Center for Human Rights Australian Federation of Islamic Councils Citizens International (Malaysia) Organization for Defending Victims of Violence (Iran) Arakan Rohingya (Germany) Sufi Muslim Council Muslim Bar Association of New York Minhaj ul Quran International (Pakistan) Minaret British Muslim Forum Jamiat Ahle Sunnat Muslim Global Relief Helping Hands Faith Matters Crescent Life Muslim Canadian Congress Challenge to the conscience of the world. Bush silent.Bush Silent, but Others Speak Out on Tibet CrackdownNew York Times - United States But human rights advocates have linked the Olympics with violence in the Darfur region of Sudan and have accused Mr. Bush of giving his imprimatur to a >> more >> Rep Keith Ellison a thoughtful official.Ellison becomes first Minnesota official to link Summer Olympics ... MinnPost.com - Minneapolis,MN,USAWolf has said any American seen cheering in the Beijing stadiums "will go down in history as cooperating in the 'genocide Olympics' of 2008 >>more >> Helprin's piece in the NYTimes is a dangerously impossible hypothetical...http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/opinion/25helprin.html...laying out an aggressive military solution for Darfur. However his proposal not only would decidedly NOT save Darfur, it would place aid workers in peril and jeopardize humanitarian operations-the only infrastructure in place now sustaining more than 4 million fragile lives. A non-consensual military response cannot possibly use bombers and missiles. Darfur is not a video game. Any plan of action must put the security of civilians and humanitarians first. This means a fully able peacekeeping force on the ground. The aggressive measures contemplated by Helperin do not factor in the safety of civilians and aid workers or Khartoums retaliations that would certainly follow. The Janjaweed could be loosed on the camps. Aid organizations have always known that the killing of even one dozen expatriate humanitarian workers would signal the withdrawal of the rest. All would be expelled with the first bomb in any case... And who would provide the military equipment for such an attack, let alone the immediate deployment of ground troops in their wake? Mr Heplerin's piece may read well on paper but it is dangerously ill informed. Lying is the least of their crimesSudanese Army Discredits Darfur Rape Charges By UNAHN - USA However, the Sudanese military denied all the charges stated in the report issued by the Human Rights and the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (Unamid), >> more >> Vaclav weighs in on TibetMiami Herald, Sat, Mar. 22, 2008 The following statement was written by Václav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic; André Glucksmann, a French philosopher; Yohei Sasakawa, a Japanese philanthropist; El Hassan Bin Talal, president of the Arab Thought Forum and president emeritus of the World Conference of Religions for Peace; Frederik Willem de Klerk, former president of South Africa; and Karel Schwarzenberg, foreign minister of the Czech Republic.
REMINDER! You really can make a DIFFERENCE! What people can do to help: Write some more letters PLEASE. Write to the UN –to Ban Ki-Moon, (Secretary General) Write to the Permanent 5 members of the Security Council: France, China, Russia, England, and the US. The US permanent representative is Zalmay Khalizada – although ultimately his boss is Condaleza Rice . Urge the them to insist that Khartoum accept and facilitate the full and immediate deployment of UNAMID – the robust peacekeeping force of 26000 as outlined and agreed to in UN Resolution 1769 – Khartoum must cease to obstruct the deployment. The World Food Programme’s loss of transport capacity highlights the urgent, urgent need for security on the ground: no amount of money will address this issue. Very few NGO’s will now deliver food by ground, leaving only unsustainably expensive airdrops as the alternative. This is not a solution. Civilians and humanitarians cannot be protected by the force of less than 9000 that is currently on the ground. And contact the sponsors of the Olympic games. Make it clear that in the face of genocide it is unacceptable that they conduct ‘business as usual’.
Solidarity with our Tibetan friendsTibet Adds Pressure for Olympic Sponsors They have expressed concern over Tibet. Some talk privately to Beijing organizers. Samsung Electronics Co. called off a Beijing news conference scheduled for Friday on the torch relay. But sponsors insist they should stay out of politics. "We all have to be careful about how we talk about this," said Chris Renner, president for China of sports marketing consulting firm Helios Partners. Its clients include sponsors Volkswagen AG, computer maker Lenovo Group and mining giant BHP Billiton Ltd. The Olympics almost always attract activists interested in leveraging the popular event to publicize their causes. At the 1996 Atlanta Games, sponsors faced boycott calls after a county where the beach volleyball event was to be held enacted a measure deemed anti-gay. In Sydney in 2000, there were protests about the environment and Australian aboriginal rights. But the Beijing Games have generated more heat, in part because of an array of activist groups long critical of China's policies _ and newer ones focused on its economic and diplomatic clout. "Everybody knows we're pretty much on the biggest platform you can pick," Renner said. Sponsors were already on the lookout for controversy over Sudan, a diplomatic partner and Chinese oil supplier, as well as press freedom, human rights and Tibet. After protests last week by Tibetans against Chinese rule -- and Beijing's crackdown -- sponsors said they were watching events closely. A few have turned to public relations specialists for advice, said a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Coca-Cola Co., Lenovo, McDonald's Corp. and others said this week they plan no changes in strategy. Likely to face immediate pressure could be Lenovo, Coca-Cola and Samsung, the three sponsors of the Olympic torch relay. The worldwide trek begins this month and will pass through Tibet and up Mount Everest. Jiang Xiaoyu, executive vice president of the Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee, or BOCOG, vowed Wednesday that the anti-government riots in Tibet last week and a subsequent crackdown by authorities would not disrupt plans for the torch relay. "We know the incidents are the last thing we want to see, but we firmly believe that the government of the Tibet Autonomous Region will be able ensure the stability of Lhasa and Tibet, and also be able to ensure the smooth going of the torch relay in Tibet," Jiang told reporters. Abroad, Tibet activists say they will protest along the torch route in India, Britain and elsewhere to highlight complaints that Beijing is degrading the Himalayan region's distinctive Buddhist culture. "We have no plans to change any of our activities related to the torch relay," said Christine F. Lau, a Coca-Cola spokeswoman in Beijing. Samsung said in a statement: "We believe the Olympic Games are not the place for demonstrations and we hope that all people attending the games recognize the importance of this. "International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said Sunday the body is "very concerned" about Tibet. But the IOC insists it is not in a position to pressure China on political matters. The Olympics is both a premier advertising platform in the fast-growing China market and a chance for sponsors to build ties with Chinese officials by backing a national prestige event. The companies are counting on the Olympics to raise their profile in China, increase their market share in the country, and attract local partners, and they want to avoid jeopardizing access by doing anything that might upset communist officials. Licensing in China is highly subjective, and Beijing has retaliated in the past for unwanted foreign actions by canceling contracts or restricting market access. Sponsor payments and other marketing revenues are expected to cover the games' operating costs, about $2.1 billion _ a figure that does not include spending on venues and public facilities. Until last week, the sponsors' biggest concern was pressure over Darfur. Fronted by actress Mia Farrow and employing disciplined public relations strategies, Darfur activists have been prodding sponsors to lobby Beijing to help pressure Sudan to end the conflict. Director Steven Spielberg withdrew as an artistic adviser to the games after pressure from Farrow, chairwoman of Dream for Darfur, which wants companies to lobby Beijing. It has warned China that it risks having its games remembered as the "genocide Olympics" and is issuing "report cards" to rate sponsors on their Darfur policies. Dream for Darfur issued a "report card" in June on sponsors and plans to issue an update this month. "The companies that get a C, D or F on this next report card will be the focus of our intensive activism between now and the games," said Jill Savitt, Dream for Darfur's executive director. She said the group will picket their headquarters and appeal to TV viewers to turn off their commercials during the games. General Electric Co. scored highest at a C-plus in the earlier report, in part for donating medical equipment and aid to UNICEF, while Savitt said 13 companies got failing grades. "The violence and brutality committed against the people in the Darfur region is appalling," said Deirdre Latour, a GE spokeswoman, in an e-mail. Still, she said, "It is not GE's role to use the games to influence government policy." In the top tier of sponsors are 12 companies that reportedly have paid at least $100 million each to become Worldwide Olympic Partners. Lenovo, the only Chinese company among the 12, took into account possible activism when it made its plans, said Robert J. Page, the company's Olympics public relations manager. "All of these potential considerations are taken into the planning process," Page said. He declined to comment on violent scenarios, but said, "The potential for people to express their opinions is certainly something we have taken into consideration, and we would work with BOCOG on anticipating." Lenovo hopes to use the Olympics to establish itself as a global brand following its 2005 acquisition of IBM Corp.'s personal computer unit. Asked whether the company worries about damage to its image, Page said, "That's not a concern at this point." "There is no question that the Olympic Games are a powerful force for peace," Page said. "We believe that the games will focus on all the good that is being brought to China, and we are proud to support that." Coca-Cola, Adidas AG and Omega, a unit of Switzerland's Swatch Group, say they have talked privately to Beijing Olympics organizers. They declined to give details, but a BOCOG employee said sponsors have asked for information on China's position on Darfur and other sensitive issues. "They have held intimate discussions with our sponsorship department to better understand the issues and how it may affect them," said the employee, who asked not to be identified further because she was not authorized to talk to reporters. "It's obviously a fine balancing act that every single Olympics encounters," said Michael Payne, a former IOC marketing director who now works as a consultant. "The PR departments of each of the sponsors have got to be sensible in how they respond." Robert A. Kapp, a former president of the U.S.-China Business Council, said it's possible that popular anger, particularly among Americans concerned with human rights, may become so severe "that some companies may face a very hard decision as to whether their highly visible support of the Olympics is causing so much damage that they need to reconsider their options." "I could imagine some companies going back to their advertising departments and external PR advisers and seeing whether there are ways in which the company's presence in support of the Olympics can be reviewed with an eye toward these recent and tragic circumstances," Kapp said by telephone from Port Townsend, Wash. "There may be different ways of presenting messages that would still support the Olympics, (but) would not cause undue anger and disenchantment among the people of China or at the level of the Chinese government," he said. Associated Press writer Lindsay Holmwood contributed to this story from New York.
The 100 abducted by the terrifying Lords Resistance Army were children. They are known for their brutality and for the fact that they horrifyingly disfigure their victims:
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Look who's stepping up with copters for the Chad/CAR (EUFOR) mission:
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Update
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This alert from the World Food Program is chilling. As it is, in some of the camps 30 percent of the population is suffering from acute malnutrition. If the WFP cannot fly into Darfur the threat of a humanitarian withdrawal looms. The UN peacekeepers MUST deploy so that humanitarian operations, the lifeline for some 4 million people, can continue.
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From Reuters: But back from talks in Khartoum and other capitals, Beijing envoy Liu Guijin on Friday defended his country as "working hard" on Sudan and others to end fighting, and said China could serve as a go-between bringing peace closer. Departing from Beijing's usually vague language on Darfur, Liu called the violence there a "humanitarian disaster" that had "forced millions from their homes and, in particular, claimed the lives of tens of thousands." Liu told a news conference that uncompromising rebel groups also bore blame, but said Sudan's government had top responsibility for stopping the killing. He also urged Khartoum to give ground on disputes holding up full deployment of U.N.-African Union peacekeepers.
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The most excellent conngressman Wolf:
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Hope HWR will join us in our efforts to rally a UN Resolution condemning the attacks, and the obstructions of UN Res 1769 as well as establishing consequences for these attrocities.
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An unimaginable news headline a year ago: China admits effect of pressure over Darfur BEIJING (AFP) — Global pressure on China over its ties to Sudan has spurred the Chinese government to take a more proactive stance on ending violence in Darfur, the nation's special envoy on the issue said Friday. "Darfur is the focus of international attention and many Western nations want China to play a bigger role," Chinese diplomat Liu Guijin told journalists. "This is why I have been appointed as the special envoy of the Chinese government on the Darfur issue." Liu, fresh from a visit to the troubled region, was appointed China's envoy on Darfur in May last year, when an international campaign to pressure Beijing on Sudan ahead of the Beijing Olympics began to take on steam. Although China has long opposed linking the Olympics to Darfur and other human rights issues, growing international scrutiny of Beijing's ties with Sudan has coincided with greater diplomatic activity by the Asian giant. "Since last May, I have visited Sudan four times. In the future, if it is necessary, I will pay more visits," Liu said, who also travelled to Chad, Britain and France to discuss the conflict on his most recent trip. "We have a good relationship with Sudan, we have some advantages in talking to Sudan, so we should use this as leverage... we will persuade them in a direct way to work with the international community and be more cooperative." Aside from Sudan, campaigners have used this August's Olympics to pressure China over its controversial rule of Tibet and its domestic human rights record. "As for the Olympic Games, any advice or comments, even if it contains misunderstandings or criticism, we are open to and welcome this advice," "We are willing to listen to any comments that contain reasonable elements, but for those few who attempt to tarnish the Olympic Games on the pretext of issues totally unrelated to the Olympics, like the Darfur issue, we are firmly opposed to such attempts."
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Heres a piece by my friend Stephanie Hancock: Traumatised Darfur refugees seek safety in Chad
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My son Ronan and I are deeply honored to have received this letter from Mr WEI jingsheng. It was sent to this website along with a completely fascinating albeit brief biography of this remarkably courageous man and China's leading human rights advocate. With Mr WEI Jingsheng's permission I am pleased to place his letter on this site. It is wonderful to hear the true voice of China! I would like to to express my solidarity with Mr. WEI Jingsheng and the people of China!! Indeed "Let us shout out in one voice: stop the killing! Long live human rights! " Bio of WEI Jingsheng: WEI Jingsheng is the best-known Chinese human rights and democracy fighter and is the leader for the opposition against the Chinese Communist dictatorship. He was sentenced to jail twice for a total of more than 18 years due to his democracy activities, including a ground breaking and well publicized essay he wrote in 1978: "the Fifth Modernization". He is the author of "Courage to Stand Alone -- letters from Prison and Other Writings", which compiles his articles written initially on toilet papers in jail. Wei Jingsheng is a winner of numerous human rights awards, including the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Human Rights Award in 1996, the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the National Endowment for Democracy Award in 1997, and the Olof Palme Memorial Prize in 1994. Wei Jingsheng has been nominated seven times for Nobel Peace Prize since 1993. He was praised in numerous places with varies titles, such as "Father of Chinese Democracy" and "Nelson Mandela of China". Thousands of entries about him can be found on the Internet in many languages, not just in English and Chinese. Wei Jingsheng was born in Beijing, China in 1950, into a high ranked military official family. His given name is very common and is an indication of the pride of his parents; a pride shared by many in the days immediately following the creation of the People's Republic - "Jing" means "capital" and "Sheng" means "birth." He is the eldest of four children. His parents were longtime Chinese Communist Party cadres. He was brought up in the prestigious Party schools, and was exposed to and thus well knowledge of the internal dramas of the Beijing party and military upper class elite. At the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, the sixteen-year-old Wei left Beijing to explore the country for himself. He traveled throughout north and northwest China. Seeing firsthand the true effects that communism had on the Chinese people. It was during this time that he first began to formulate his opinions on the Chinese Communist Party and the future of the Chinese people. By the time the Cultural Revolution ended in 1976, Wei had been "sent down" to the countryside in his ancestral hometown in Anhui Province and also served in the People's liberation Army. The ten formative years he spent gaining a better understanding of the Chinese people's situation left an indelible mark on his thinking. After moving back to Beijing, Wei took a job as an electrician at the Beijing Zoo. In 1978, a series of workers, intellectuals, and artists posted their thoughts and _expression on a piece of wall in Beijing. The place, and the period, became known as The Democracy Wall. At this time, Wei wrote an essay entitled "The Fifth Modernization" which stated that without democracy, China could not truly modernize. His essay caused a sensation- not only because it openly assaulted the "people's democratic dictatorship" propaganda of the Communists, but also because the author dared to sign the essay with both his real name and address. Wei joined a few friends in publishing an underground magazine called "Exploration". In its last edition, Wei wrote another article, "Democracy or a New Dictatorship?" which identified Deng Xiaoping, then Communist leader of China, as the new dictator. Three days later, Wei Jingsheng was arrested. In 1979, Wei was tried, convicted of "counter-revolution" and sentenced to 15 years. He spoke in his own defense, and a copy of his statement was smuggled out of the courtroom and distributed in China and to the foreign press. He was first on death row for eight months, and then in solitary confinement for nearly five years. He was kept in two other forced labor camps under strict supervision from both guards and prison handlers until 1993 when he was released. Within six months he was arrested a second time. He was tried again, convicted of "counter-revolution" and sentenced to another 14 years. In 1997, after a total of 18 years in prison, Wei was taken from his cell and placed on a plane bound for the United States. He maintains that he was not freed, but that his exile is further punishment. Currently residing in Washington DC area, Wei Jingsheng has not been silenced by his forced exile. There are numerous reports of his work outside of China for the Chinese cause. Many of his articles are published in major newspapers including English, more in Chinese. Every week, he gives speeches and commentaries through various radio and TV stations, especially to the Chinese audience via Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, and BBC, etc. His close ties to many congressional members and legislators, as well as governmental officials of many democratic countries, enable him to represent the Chinese democratic force and use his influence to push for human rights and democracy in China. In 1998, he founded the Overseas Chinese Democracy Coalition (OCDC) which is an umbrella organization for many Oversea Chinese democracy groups. The OCDC has many members over dozens of countries. He has been serving as its chairman since then. He is also the president for the Wei Jingsheng Foundation, which is a non-profit organization registered in New York. In September 2006, he co-founded Asia Democracy Alliance with other organizations of Taiwan, Tibet, Mongolia, Vietnam, etc. in the US Congress. He was elected to lead the Alliance and is currently serving as its first president. -- Please read Mr. Wei Jingsheng's letter in the following entry! -- |
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Dear Mia Farrow and Ronan Farrow: For a long time, you have been fighting for human rights in the Darfur region. You are condemning the Sudanese government, which is directly responsible for the genocide; for the loss of hundreds of thousands of human lives there. At the same time, you have cried out to people of justice in the international community, to collectively intervene in the disastrous situation inside Sudan. Your precious effort have gained success recently. A respectful artist, Mr. Spielberg, acting upon his conscience has now refused to be a director for the performance show in the Beijing 2008 Olympics because the Beijing Communist regime is a major supporter of the Sudanese government. I fully support you and Mr. Spielberg's action and wish to show my respect for your courage and conscience! Wherever human rights are endangered, the speakers for the local authorities have a common tune: it is an internal affair, do not intervene. But you know the truth: human rights issues are never an isolated, local or internal affair. Especially with today's advance of the world civilization, it can be no small issue when a government openly suppresses the peoples' basic human rights of freedom, including that of religion, assembly, speech and press, by using prison, exploitation, and even genocide against those of different nationality or faith. Anyone with conscience witnessing such injustice will be forced to act. We fully understand you, respect you, and support all your efforts for the human rights in Darfur, to save peoples' lives by putting pressure on the Beijing regime. The fact that so far the Chinese communist government has refused to do anything to ease the crisis in Darfur, even refusing to address the issue or reply to the international world, is consistent with its own record. It has been brutally suppressing human rights in China for nearly 59 years. It has committed numerous criminal movements or campaigns against humanity, resulting in tens of millions starved or un-natural deaths and persecuted millions of political prisoners. Today, with more sophisticated weapons and equipment, the Beijing regime is doing more and more to monitor, block, and suppress any free thought or speech inside China. More dissidents, or prisoners of conscience, are brutally jailed, tortured or sentenced without fair trial, if any trial at all. Under the communist government, workers in China now have no real union, no right to bargain, and no basic salary; child laborers, slave laborers, and farmer-turned workers are in even worse situations. The Beijing communist regime practices hatred toward all the freedom-oriented societies. It uses various methods, such as distorted propaganda, cheating, spying, bribery, and economic threat, to gain profit for the dictatorship regime. Toward countries like Sudan, the Beijing regime could care less regarding human rights there, as long as it can share profit from blood. After all, they two are real friends in many ways. Beijing wants to be a part of the global economy, but does not want to take global responsibility. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said to the suppressed or suffering, "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." Dear Ronan Farrow and dear Mia Farrow: We are very happy to say that you are not silent. Mr. Spielberg is not silent. We shall never be silent! Your influence and loud voice, from your deep conscience, demonstrated the power of justice from the international community. You are friends for human rights. Your action encouraged all of us to continue to fight for the human rights in the world. Your action, we believe, will awake more friends from silence. Please allow me to take this opportunity to call on the international community, all the peace loving friends, governments, authorities, business organizations, artists, scholars, all the people of conscience and justice, to unite. Let us pay attention to the situations in Darfur, Sudan, and the Olympics 2008, Beijing. Let us shout out in one voice: stop the killing!
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During a visit to the British capital, the Chinese envoy Liu Guijin said that Beijing wasn’t satisfied with progress made on sending a hybrid force of African Union and U.N. peacekeepers to Darfur, and that it was quietly pushing behind the scenes to encourage Khartoum to collaborate with the international community. |
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This is a statement every expert said the Chinese would never make. China urges Sudan BEIJING, Feb 24 (Reuters) - China wants Sudan to eliminate obstacles blocking full deployment of the new U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force for Darfur, Beijing's envoy said in Khartoum on Sunday, while also urging rebels to return to peace talks. China's role in Sudan came under renewed international attention when film director Steven Spielberg recently quit as an artistic adviser to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, saying Beijing had failed to use enough of its sway with Khartoum to seek peace in Darfur. China has often said negotiations, not sanctions, are needed to stop five years of fighting between Darfur rebels, the government and its allied militias. ***But in a departure from Beijing's usual public diplomatic vaguery envoy Liu Guijin said Sudan should do more to end the bloodshed by cooperating more with a "hybrid" peacekeeping force backed by the United Nations and African Union.*** ***"Rolling out the hybrid peacekeeping operation and resolving the Darfur issue require the joint efforts of all sides," Liu told his country's official Xinhua news agency during a visit to Sudan.*** ***"First, the Sudan government should cooperate better with the international community and demonstrate greater flexibility on some technical issues. Next, anti-government organisations in the Darfur region should return to the negotiating table."*** International experts estimate 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been driven from their homes during years of conflict in Darfur. Sudan says the toll is a Western media fabrication. It says 9,000 people have been killed. A hybrid United Nations-African Union force took over this year from 7,000 understaffed and badly equipped AU peacekeepers who have been unable to stem the violence. The joint force, known as UNAMID, is supposed to number 26,000 troops and police but so far only 9,000 UNAMID forces are on the ground in Darfur. Their deployment has been stymied by conditions set by Khartoum and a lack of air support from international donors. Beijing is a big investor in Sudan's oil and the largest supplier of weapons to Khartoum. International critics say with that strategic stake in the East African country and China's seat on the U.N. Security Council, it could do a lot more to help end fighting in Darfur. Facing renewed pressure as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in August, China has launched a diplomatic push to argue that it has in fact been crucial to recent promising developments in Darfur. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao this week said his country had been important in securing cooperation between Sudan and international organisations, and had quickly sent its own peacekeeping troops and humanitarian aid for Darfur. Envoy Liu has also been in London with the same message. His latest pointed comments suggest China wants to show the world it is working on Khartoum. In Sudan, Liu also said Darfur rebels should immediately return to the negotiating table. Libya-hosted peace talks broke up last year without any progress after the main Darfur rebel leaders boycotted them. "In the political process, several months have passed without substantive progress," Xinhua cited Liu as saying. The envoy said Western countries "should use their own influence to work on all the sides", and he urged the U.N. and African Union to work more closely with Sudan to overcome disagreements over the hybrid peacekeeping operation. (Reporting by Chris Buckley, editing by Mary Gabriel)
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February 23, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — China’s special envoy on Darfur, Liu Giujin, will begin a five-day visit to Sudan on Sunday during which he will be calling on senior government officials and will pay a field visit to Darfur region. The Chinese official will hold talks with the Sudanese officials on the development of the question in Darfur with regard to the political process and the hybrid operation. China is considered to have influence over Sudanese leaders because it buys two-thirds of the northeast African state’s oil exports, sells weapons to its Islamic government and defends it in the U.N. But China has attracted criticism from the U.S. and other nations, who accuse it of not doing enough to bring violence to an end. During a visit to the British capital, the Chinese envoy Liu Guijin said that Beijing wasn’t satisfied with progress made on sending a hybrid force of African Union and U.N. peacekeepers to Darfur, and that it was quietly pushing behind the scenes to encourage Khartoum to collaborate with the international community. "We are ready to work with the U.K. and the rest of the international community and contribute to the resolution of the Darfur issue," he said. According to the Chinese envoy who will visit Chad also, Beijing is trying hard to find a "practical solution" to the Darfur problem through quiet diplomacy, which it sees as the most suitable route. "We’re going to urge the government of Sudan to show more flexibility, and to be more cooperative," he said. However, he deflected the oft-raised criticism that China’s arms sales to the troubled nation were partially responsible for aggravating the violence. Liu said that in 2006, only 8% of weapons imported by Sudan came from China. However, that figure is at odds with data from the U.N. which show transfers of military weapons and small arms from China to Sudan stood at $23 million in 2005, making China the largest reported supplier of such weapons to Sudan. |
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My Friends, The Government of Sudan has intensified bombing in west Darfur. Terrified, destitute people are fleeing across the border into eastern Chad -- but the entire borderland is an inferno and aid workers cannot reach them. And the world WATCHES it happening. The Government of Sudan will not stop until the genocide is complete. We in the United States do not have the diplomatic or financial leverage to make them stop. President Bush has used the word 'genocide" to describe these atrocities. No other word is as accurate. But he does nothing to stop it. China could stop it. China has all the "sticks and carrots" Please everyone contact each sponsor. Tell them it CAN'T be business as usual. They should take their business elsewhere. And let's all boycott these sponsors. We have choices -- the people of Darfur do not.
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There is nothing to celebrate. People keep congratulating me and that's not right. And the WSJ used the word "victory" in their title of the last piece which only in the most myopic sense is so. The true picture is that things are terrible and getting worse in Darfur (with focus on West Darfur/Eastern Chad/the borderland). Security has deteriorated to the worst since 2003-4. We need to push harder on China. Let's boycott the Olympic Sponsors. Let's boycott the opening ceremonies of the games. Let's boycott Chinese goods. And let's not forget Tibet and Burma and those Chinese citizens whose human rights have been abused or denied. Lets not go to McDonalds -- it's Burger king for me. There ARE alternatives to supporting this unacceptable situation:
Don't drink Coca Cola, give Pepsi a try -- or drink water! And feel better
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I believe that all responsible leaders and citizens alike should think carefully as to how they might best use their leverage with China. This is a defining moment for all of us, and deeply consequential for the people of Darfur. We must also think of the people of Burma, Tibet and those Chinese citizens whose human rights have been denied or abused
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An aide worker reports things are going wrong wrong...and could get a lot worse. Our colleagues had to pull out of border area (Birak) as bomboing was so intense. In case there is a God-pray for the refugees from Darfur:
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What a shame. Just think what he might have accomplished. No moral authority whatsoever. So it follows that no American president has caused more damage than this one.
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In an extraordinary act of conscience, Steven Spielberg today announced the end of his involvement as an artistic directors of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Let us hope that Mr. Spielberg's decisive action will influence other participants, sponsors, and supporters of the Olympic Games to drop out. This is the time to increase pressure on Beijing, the host country to the Olympics, and tragically, the underwriter of the Darfur genocide.
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I was fortunate to have met Tom Lantos and his wife Annette. Both were survivors of the Holocaust and both were unforgettable. Their love for each other was palpable, literally. I sat between them at breakfast on the day I testified for Lantos at his hearing on Darfur. It was as if I was sitting between two magnets. I almost asked to move so that they would not be separated. The Lantos's were inseparable. Annette went to work each day with her husband. And what a team they were --a pair of moral giants. |
