Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
What the world is saying
Besides government officials, international watchdogs and members of the Hague, what do average global citizens have to say about the indictment of Omar Al-Bashir?
Here are a few comments from around the world, collected by BBC News online in the "Have Your Say" section:
"If Omar Bashir is free and not guilty of any genocide he should be ready to freely testify anywhere in the world and clear the dirty air about him but it's clear that the problems in Dafur is partly from him so he should just face the music because his life is as important as that of the most deprived, unprotected women, children that have been killed in Dafur-Sudan which he manages as the head and commander in chief."
- ajah john .f., Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
"In Rwanda the world Waited, in Liberia the world waited, We are waiting now in D.R.Congo, Niger Delta, Cen. Africa Republic... etc. I know many African leaders are worried that they might be next.So they are trying to stop the ICC by using the A.U to buy time.The truth is this, we Cannot wait any more. We can not fail to act now.The ICC now has a Moral duty to act, there most be a first step. President Bashir has to be the precedent. he most feel the pressure. Bashir must be prosecuted."
-Asonganyi Akuakem, Buea, Cameroon
Here are a few comments from around the world, collected by BBC News online in the "Have Your Say" section:
"If Omar Bashir is free and not guilty of any genocide he should be ready to freely testify anywhere in the world and clear the dirty air about him but it's clear that the problems in Dafur is partly from him so he should just face the music because his life is as important as that of the most deprived, unprotected women, children that have been killed in Dafur-Sudan which he manages as the head and commander in chief."
- ajah john .f., Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
"In Rwanda the world Waited, in Liberia the world waited, We are waiting now in D.R.Congo, Niger Delta, Cen. Africa Republic... etc. I know many African leaders are worried that they might be next.So they are trying to stop the ICC by using the A.U to buy time.The truth is this, we Cannot wait any more. We can not fail to act now.The ICC now has a Moral duty to act, there most be a first step. President Bashir has to be the precedent. he most feel the pressure. Bashir must be prosecuted."
-Asonganyi Akuakem, Buea, Cameroon
Monday, March 2, 2009
Waiting pains: Indictment of Al-Bashir
Sudanese president, Omar Al-Bashir, has faced indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC) since as early as July of 2008 when chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, broached the issue. His alleged charge: war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
This week the imminence of the indictment creeps ever closer to reality as the world awaits the official indictment to come from the Hague this Wednesday, March 4. If this comes to fruition, Al-Bashir will be the first sitting president to be indicted by the ICC.
Talks of the indictment have ebbed and flowed in a wild goose chase for answers. Last month, the New York Times reported that the judges of the ICC finally decided to issue an arrest warrant for Al-Bashir. This decision is not to be confused with the actual issuance of the order, which we are awaiting this week.
While activists and politicians around the world, internally-displaced people and rebel groups in Darfur, and the Khartoum government wait for the official order to arrive, we are left wondering what is taking so long?
To relate this to American politics, let's use the example of McCain-Palin to illustrate the importance of "floating." Floating is used to soften the media and public reaction to a major news story by leaking hints of the story to news outlets. The decision-makers then gauge the public's reaction to make a final decision. No floating occurred at all with the decision to choose Palin as McCain's running mate, and as a result the wrong choice was made. Names that were floated in the election were Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia. The media reported on the floated names and the public reacted in certain ways.
By floating the potential indictment of Al-Bashir, the ICC could gauge not only the international response, but more importantly the response of Al-Bashir himself and his regime. There were fears the indictment could spark a whiplash of even more violence in Darfur. By floating the issue of indictment and waiting months before even mentioning that the decision will be announced, was a smart move on behalf of the ICC. By beginning the talks of indictment early, Al-Bashir and his regime was giving a type of warning. This was one they did not head and we should expect the official order to come any day now.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Gaming for Darfur
This year MTV launched an online computer game, "Darfur is Dying," to raise awareness about Darfur by reaching out to the plugged-in generation using a language we understand. The game is the result of the Darfur Digital Activist competition.
Five students from USC make up the winning team. Other finalists include games, in which the player is a U.N. worker charged with keeping the peace or the very unrealistic game in which the player is a student in Khartoum, charged with toppling the Janjaweed by draining their fuel supplies.
The developers describe the game as:
"a viral video game for change that provides a window into the experience of the 2.5 million refugees in the Darfur region of Sudan. Players must keep their refugee camp functioning in the face of possible attack by Janjaweed militias. Players can also learn more about the genocide in Darfur that has taken the lives of 400,000 people, and find ways to get involved to help stop this human rights and humanitarian crisis."
The game and MTVU worked in conjunction with several non-profit organizations and relied on Amnesty International as the predominant source of information about the crisis, as most of the links lead to AIUSA's website. The two other major partners are the Reebok Human Rights Foundation and the International Crisis Group.
The game begins with the dire need and dangerous quest for water. You must choose a young girl to leave the camp and collect water from a well several thousand yards away (young men do not leave the camp because they risk castration and death, rather than the "lesser"risks, which the women face; rape). After you have successfully gathered water for the camp, you enter a an interactive and fairly realistic setting. The houses are in square plots, made of straw and brick. The camp is patrolled by an official from the Sudanese government and also includes an NGO tent, which provides humanitarian relief and meager food rations to the residents. In this stage of the game, you must bring water to gardens and then harvest food, use water to make bricks, continually venture out of the camp to collect more water and most importantly: stay healthy.
The most interesting element of the game is that after spending some time in the camp, a warning is given that a raid will occur. To stop the raid, the player has several options: send a letter to President Bush, ask your representative to support the people of Darfur, join/start a divestment movement on campus or continue to play the game and watch the raid play out. Each of the action choices (excluding the choice to do nothing) sends you to an actual action site. For example, if you choose to contact your representative you will be taken to the Genocide Intervention Network's website (GIN). The proceeds of the first Art for Darfur silent auction were sent to the Genocide Intervention Network's civilian program in Darfur, which provided extra security for young girls and women, who have to leave the safety of their camps to find water.
This game also includes nuggets of information and stories placed around the camp. As you click on various question marks you can read the tragic stories of the camp's inhabitants.
The realistic conditions, personal stories and global actions of this game make it one of a kind. Not only does this game educate the player, it also draws him or her into the world of activism. As if to say, "now that you know, what are you going to do about it?" The game offers effortless and quick ways to become involved at various commitment levels that to turn away from such easy actions would be pathetic.
Unfortunately this game seems very much unknown. As an activist for Darfur for two years, this is the first time I have encountered this game. Despite one of the players being Kanye West the game needs more explore to make an impact.
The game only gives a topical view of Darfur; the basic facts and stories. It provides a good educaitonal base for the crisis but for anyone who already knows about the situation, the game would not be anything more than strange entertainment. I can see this game as a useful tool to educate children or young high schoolers, rather than college students (a main demographic of MTVU). The simple language and lack of graphic images or stories make this game appropriate for youth, to whom it is extremely difficult to explain genocide.
Five students from USC make up the winning team. Other finalists include games, in which the player is a U.N. worker charged with keeping the peace or the very unrealistic game in which the player is a student in Khartoum, charged with toppling the Janjaweed by draining their fuel supplies.
The developers describe the game as:
"a viral video game for change that provides a window into the experience of the 2.5 million refugees in the Darfur region of Sudan. Players must keep their refugee camp functioning in the face of possible attack by Janjaweed militias. Players can also learn more about the genocide in Darfur that has taken the lives of 400,000 people, and find ways to get involved to help stop this human rights and humanitarian crisis."
The game and MTVU worked in conjunction with several non-profit organizations and relied on Amnesty International as the predominant source of information about the crisis, as most of the links lead to AIUSA's website. The two other major partners are the Reebok Human Rights Foundation and the International Crisis Group.
The game begins with the dire need and dangerous quest for water. You must choose a young girl to leave the camp and collect water from a well several thousand yards away (young men do not leave the camp because they risk castration and death, rather than the "lesser"risks, which the women face; rape). After you have successfully gathered water for the camp, you enter a an interactive and fairly realistic setting. The houses are in square plots, made of straw and brick. The camp is patrolled by an official from the Sudanese government and also includes an NGO tent, which provides humanitarian relief and meager food rations to the residents. In this stage of the game, you must bring water to gardens and then harvest food, use water to make bricks, continually venture out of the camp to collect more water and most importantly: stay healthy.
The most interesting element of the game is that after spending some time in the camp, a warning is given that a raid will occur. To stop the raid, the player has several options: send a letter to President Bush, ask your representative to support the people of Darfur, join/start a divestment movement on campus or continue to play the game and watch the raid play out. Each of the action choices (excluding the choice to do nothing) sends you to an actual action site. For example, if you choose to contact your representative you will be taken to the Genocide Intervention Network's website (GIN). The proceeds of the first Art for Darfur silent auction were sent to the Genocide Intervention Network's civilian program in Darfur, which provided extra security for young girls and women, who have to leave the safety of their camps to find water.
This game also includes nuggets of information and stories placed around the camp. As you click on various question marks you can read the tragic stories of the camp's inhabitants.
The realistic conditions, personal stories and global actions of this game make it one of a kind. Not only does this game educate the player, it also draws him or her into the world of activism. As if to say, "now that you know, what are you going to do about it?" The game offers effortless and quick ways to become involved at various commitment levels that to turn away from such easy actions would be pathetic.
Unfortunately this game seems very much unknown. As an activist for Darfur for two years, this is the first time I have encountered this game. Despite one of the players being Kanye West the game needs more explore to make an impact.
The game only gives a topical view of Darfur; the basic facts and stories. It provides a good educaitonal base for the crisis but for anyone who already knows about the situation, the game would not be anything more than strange entertainment. I can see this game as a useful tool to educate children or young high schoolers, rather than college students (a main demographic of MTVU). The simple language and lack of graphic images or stories make this game appropriate for youth, to whom it is extremely difficult to explain genocide.
Speaking of youth........
We should all take note about how it has always been youth that get involved...that have passion and resolve....read about Spencer Brodsky (17 years old), and how he is helping the women in Darfur:
From Larry LazoCNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In Sudan's Darfur region, where violence and genocide are rampant, women risk their lives every day performing tasks as seemingly mundane as seeking out firewood.
But, from his suburban home, one Maryland teen has dedicated himself to making life a little safer for those women.
The United Nations estimates that 300,000 people have been slaughtered in the ongoing violence in the north African country. Countless others have been forced out of their homes and are living in refugee camps.
People living in the camps are relatively safe, but there is danger for the women and young girls who leave the compounds in search of firewood to cook meals. Firewood in the desert is scarce, and the women often have to walk up to seven hours to gather enough wood to bring back to their camps. Some women have been targeted, sexually assaulted and killed.
Spencer Brodsky, 17, learned about the violence and decided to raise money to purchase fuel-efficient stoves to send to Darfur. The stoves burn 75 percent less firewood.
Brodsky reasons that if he can do something to keep Sudanese women in the camps, this would decrease the likelihood of violence.
"We need to be able to benefit them in any way that we can so they don't have to be out as many times of their compound," he said. Brodsky, who is Jewish, said his elders have compared the genocide in Darfur to the Holocaust. He believes that his peers should not stand for such injustice in their lifetime.
"They always taught about what was happening in that region in that the social injustice that's happening. And how you know how people said during the Holocaust during World War II -- you know this can never happen again."
At $30 per stove, Brodsky has raised enough money to ship 420 stoves to Darfur. The project is a joint effort between Brodsky and CHF International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the economic conditions of people in some of the most troubled regions of the world.
Naila Mohamed, leader of the stoves project at CHF International, has witnessed the reaction of women when they receive the stoves.
"These women are so grateful for this initiative and actually thankful to the American people who are so passionate to let these women know that there is help out there," Mohamed said.
Together, Brodsky and CHF International want to continue raising awareness around the world of the plight of the Sudanese.
No matter how old you are, you can make a difference by buying a stove, Brodsky said.
"The power of one. The power of change and that we can make a difference. Even though I may be only 17 and a teenager, I can make a difference."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/12/27/stoves.darfur/?iref=mpstoryview
Stoves help keep Darfur's women out of harm's way
Story highlights:
- Firewood is scarce in Darfur, forcing women to roam for hours in search of tinder
- Women often raped and murdered when they leave refugee camps to look for wood
- Maryland teen Spencer Brodsky is raising money to buy fuel-efficient stoves With help of CHF International, Brodsky has sent 420 stoves to Darfur
From Larry LazoCNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In Sudan's Darfur region, where violence and genocide are rampant, women risk their lives every day performing tasks as seemingly mundane as seeking out firewood.
But, from his suburban home, one Maryland teen has dedicated himself to making life a little safer for those women.
The United Nations estimates that 300,000 people have been slaughtered in the ongoing violence in the north African country. Countless others have been forced out of their homes and are living in refugee camps.
People living in the camps are relatively safe, but there is danger for the women and young girls who leave the compounds in search of firewood to cook meals. Firewood in the desert is scarce, and the women often have to walk up to seven hours to gather enough wood to bring back to their camps. Some women have been targeted, sexually assaulted and killed.
Spencer Brodsky, 17, learned about the violence and decided to raise money to purchase fuel-efficient stoves to send to Darfur. The stoves burn 75 percent less firewood.
Brodsky reasons that if he can do something to keep Sudanese women in the camps, this would decrease the likelihood of violence.
"We need to be able to benefit them in any way that we can so they don't have to be out as many times of their compound," he said. Brodsky, who is Jewish, said his elders have compared the genocide in Darfur to the Holocaust. He believes that his peers should not stand for such injustice in their lifetime.
"They always taught about what was happening in that region in that the social injustice that's happening. And how you know how people said during the Holocaust during World War II -- you know this can never happen again."
At $30 per stove, Brodsky has raised enough money to ship 420 stoves to Darfur. The project is a joint effort between Brodsky and CHF International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the economic conditions of people in some of the most troubled regions of the world.
Naila Mohamed, leader of the stoves project at CHF International, has witnessed the reaction of women when they receive the stoves.
"These women are so grateful for this initiative and actually thankful to the American people who are so passionate to let these women know that there is help out there," Mohamed said.
Together, Brodsky and CHF International want to continue raising awareness around the world of the plight of the Sudanese.
No matter how old you are, you can make a difference by buying a stove, Brodsky said.
"The power of one. The power of change and that we can make a difference. Even though I may be only 17 and a teenager, I can make a difference."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/12/27/stoves.darfur/?iref=mpstoryview
Friday, December 26, 2008
Youth a force for better or worse in Darfur
The New York Times published an article this weekend about the sudden, and often violent surge of Darfur youth in peace-keeping efforts and negotiations of the rebel groups, government and civilians in Sudan.
The Arabic word for young men, "shabab," is also the name given to the forceful group of young refugees who have placed themselves between their village leaders, rebel groups, UN Peace-Keeping Forces and the Sudanese government.
The shabab are agitated, disappointed in both the rebel groups and their sheiks. These are the children who survived the raids of their homes by the Janjaweed and have lived most of their lives in refugee camps. Many can only recall their birthplaces as distant phantasies that were never a reality. Unlike their elders, these youth are caught between vague memories of home and an uncertain future and the only reality they know is of the transient refugee status.
They demand certainty, progress, stability, freedom and a few very specific conditions to the peace negotiations:
-Disarming government militias
-Prosecuting those responsible for war crimes
-Expel anyone who settled on stolen land of the displaced farmers
-The carrying-out of all United Nations Security Council resolutions in Darfur
Passions have exploded in violence, as several sheiks around Zalingei, which hosts five refugee camps, have been found dead. The blame often falls on the vehement shebab.
In Kalma camp, the shebab organized a protest, which pushed 10,000 fur people out of the camp as punishment for their signing of a peace agreement with the government.
The passion and determination of youth has supported nearly every human rights and social justice movement across the globe, and violence is not a rare occurance with the involvment of youth. These young men have carved out a niche for themselves as a feared constituency in the negotiations process in Sudan. These young men will soon be the governing (or new rebelling) generation of adults in Sudan and their only memory of their country, their home is of over-crowded, often-raided, and disease-ridden holding camps. Their resentment and contempt for all parties involved is not a surprise and these youth will have to be headed for peace to stand any chance in Sudan.
The Arabic word for young men, "shabab," is also the name given to the forceful group of young refugees who have placed themselves between their village leaders, rebel groups, UN Peace-Keeping Forces and the Sudanese government.
The shabab are agitated, disappointed in both the rebel groups and their sheiks. These are the children who survived the raids of their homes by the Janjaweed and have lived most of their lives in refugee camps. Many can only recall their birthplaces as distant phantasies that were never a reality. Unlike their elders, these youth are caught between vague memories of home and an uncertain future and the only reality they know is of the transient refugee status.
They demand certainty, progress, stability, freedom and a few very specific conditions to the peace negotiations:
-Disarming government militias
-Prosecuting those responsible for war crimes
-Expel anyone who settled on stolen land of the displaced farmers
-The carrying-out of all United Nations Security Council resolutions in Darfur
Passions have exploded in violence, as several sheiks around Zalingei, which hosts five refugee camps, have been found dead. The blame often falls on the vehement shebab.
In Kalma camp, the shebab organized a protest, which pushed 10,000 fur people out of the camp as punishment for their signing of a peace agreement with the government.
The passion and determination of youth has supported nearly every human rights and social justice movement across the globe, and violence is not a rare occurance with the involvment of youth. These young men have carved out a niche for themselves as a feared constituency in the negotiations process in Sudan. These young men will soon be the governing (or new rebelling) generation of adults in Sudan and their only memory of their country, their home is of over-crowded, often-raided, and disease-ridden holding camps. Their resentment and contempt for all parties involved is not a surprise and these youth will have to be headed for peace to stand any chance in Sudan.
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