The unprecedented attack on a suburb of Khartoum by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) demonstrates once again the urgent need for a credible and inclusive peace process to resolve the crisis in Darfur. It is too early to predict what effect the attack will have on the political and military dynamics of the conflict going forward, but Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party is making clear that its response will focus on civilians. The government and its proxies are launching a new round of assaults against civilian targets in Darfur and we are receiving credible reports of arrests, beatings, disappearances, and executions of Darfuri civilians (particularly Zaghawa) in Khartoum and Omdurman. Today’s alarming reports of heavy fighting in Abyei–a flashpoint that threatens to ignite full scale civil war–further underscore the urgent need for sustained, high-level diplomacy. To prevent the further deterioration of the volatile situation in Sudan, ENOUGH and the Save Darfur Coalition urge the U.S. government and the international community to take immediate steps to launch and sustain an all-encompassing peace process that addresses the local and national issues that are fueling conflict.

Read ENOUGH’s Re-Released report “Creating a Peace to Keep in Darfur”

To learn more about the violence in the Abyei region of Sudan, read ENOUGH’s report, “Sounding the Alarm on Abyei”

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Over 80 organizations and individuals ask UN Global Compact to uphold its principles

Boston, MA – May 12, 2008 - Three days before PetroChina’s annual meeting of shareholders, over 80 civil society organizations including human rights, corporate accountability, religious and anti-genocide groups from 17 countries have signed an open letter to the United Nations Global Compact. The letter calls upon the UN Global Compact to use its influence with PetroChina, a compact participant, to help bring an end to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. PetroChina, the listed arm of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Sudan’s largest oil industry partner, is indisputably linked to the regime perpetuating the five-year humanitarian crisis in Darfur which many consider to be genocide.

The letter, which was coordinated by Boston-based Investors Against Genocide, was also signed by members of US Congress, Canadian Parliamentarians, actor Mia Farrow, and Sudan researcher and analyst Eric Reeves. For the full text of the letter including signatories, visit www.InvestorsAgainstGenocide.org/UNGCandPetroChina.

“The challenge for the UN Global Compact,” states Eric Cohen, chairperson of Investors Against Genocide, “is to take firm steps to ensure that its principles are upheld in the face of the most egregious human rights violations on the planet. We therefore respectfully request that the United Nations Global Compact use its own good offices to encourage PetroChina, in partnership with its closely related parent company, CPNC, to engage the Government of Sudan to help bring a swift end to the ongoing crisis in Sudan. We believe that such engagement by PetroChina and CNPC would have a dramatic impact on curtailing the gross violations of human rights that have been committed in Sudan for decades.”

This request for the UN Global Compact to engage with its participant, PetroChina, is particularly timely since the Secretary-General has asked all parts of the United Nations to recognize 2008 as the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UN Global Compact derives the first two of its ten principles from the UDHR. The first principle of the Un Global Compact states that businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights. The second principle requires that businesses ensure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.

The Global Compact is currently the world’s largest and most widely known voluntary corporate responsibility initiative, with over 4,000 corporate participants. It is often criticized by civil society organizations because of its purely voluntary nature. According to Bart Slob, a Senior Researcher for the Amsterdam-based Centre of Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), there are concerns related to the Compact’s assumption that the current form of globalization can be made sustainable and equitable, and the lack of independent monitoring. “Without any effective monitoring and enforcement provisions, the Global Compact fails to hold corporations accountable,” explains Slob. “It is particularly concerning when participants, such as PetroChina, that do not uphold the compact’s principles use the prestige of the UN in their public relations.”

In its recently published 2007 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, PetroChina proudly cites its entry to the Global Compact. PetroChina’s CSR report mentions the Global Compact 12 times, while there is no mention of PetroChina’s support for the Sudanese government that has committed human rights violations in Darfur. “The participation of this company in the Global Compact is detrimental to the reputation of the United Nations,” states Slob. “PetroChina is wrapping itself in the UN flag to “bluewash” its image.”

The letter asks the UN Global Compact to influence PetroChina and CNPC to independently, or collectively with other foreign oil companies operating in Sudan, request that the Government of Sudan (GoS) fully and promptly implement all provisions of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1769, ensure free and unfettered access for humanitarian aid workers to the people of Darfur, provide full and unrestricted land access for peacekeeping troops (including land for UN bases), cease support for the Janjaweed militia without delay, and genuinely engage in the Darfur peace process. Further, the letter asks for the Global Compact to influence PetroChina/CNPC to make all possible efforts to contribute to the success of Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement, including utilizing leverage on its business affiliates, on the GoS, and on the Government of South Sudan to ensure that the CPA is implemented without further delay.

“If PetroChina in concert with CNPC does not fulfill these requests, and also does not provide a comprehensive report to the UNGC and the undersigned within three months from PetroChina’s annual meeting,” the letter reads, “we respectfully request that PetroChina be placed on probationary status as a Global Compact participant until such actions have been satisfactorily taken and reported.”

The Government of Sudan has a well-documented history of susceptibility to economic pressure. It is highly reliant on foreign direct investment not only to pay its debts and subsidize government expenditures, but also to fund its military and finance the conflict in Darfur.”

To ensure that the integrity of the United Nations Global Compact is safeguarded at all times, the Secretary-General has adopted several “Integrity Measures” which state that “safeguarding the reputation, integrity and good efforts of the Global Compact and its participants requires transparent means to handle credible allegations of systematic or egregious abuse of the GC’s overall aims and principles.”

Although PetroChina has claimed independence from CNPC, the two companies are inseparable. Management at CNPC and PetroChina almost completely overlap and the same individual, Jiang Jiemin, is president of both companies. Frequent asset transfers between the two entities, which often take place at subsidized rates, have made CNPC completely reliant on PetroChina for its financial health. In a May 2007 report on the relationship between PetroChina and CNPC, KLD Research & Analytics, an independent research firm, concluded that “investors should treat CNPC and PetroChina as if they were a single entity.” Comprehensive research by the Genocide Intervention Network on the intimate, opaque, and symbiotic relationship among PetroChina, CNPC, and CNPC’s extensive and problematic operations in Sudan reaches the same conclusion.

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Los Angeles, CA, March 28th, 2008 - STAND and Participant Media are proud to sponsor a nationwide tour of the critically acclaimed new documentary, Darfur Now, which will be available on DVD May 27th. Schools around the country, chosen for their outspoken efforts to fight genocide, will host a special screening of Darfur Now and a concert to raise awareness, funds, and send the message that NOW is the time to end genocide in Darfur. Across the country, tens of thousands of students have shown that they will not stand idly by in the face of genocide. From passing legislation to fundraising for relief and protection efforts in Darfur, they have declared that they are the anti-genocide generation. But we can do more…

TOUR DETAILS [Upcoming Tour Dates]

St. Paul, MN - April 27, 2008
William Mitchell College of Law

Minneapolis - April 28, 2008
University of Minnesota Law School

Washington D.C. - April 28, 2008
Georgetown University
ft. Wale, Asheru, DJ Yzo, Mastamind DJ

Chicago - May 21, 2008
University of Chicago

Los Angeles - May 29, 2008
University of California Los Angeles

STAND and the Genocide Intervention Network are proud to partner with Participant Media in the college tour of the acclaimed documentary, Darfur Now. With more than 700 chapters at schools around the globe, STAND is the fastest-growing student anti-genocide coalition in the world today. STAND chapters actively organize to prevent and stop genocide wherever and whenever it may occur. In partnership with the Genocide Intervention Network (GI-Net). STAND’s long-term goal is to establish a permanent anti-genocide constituency that holds elected officials accountable for doing all that they can to prevent and end genocide.

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How: Call the White House comments line (202-456-1111), and leave this message with the operator on the other end:

“The U.S. must NOT normalize ties with the Government of Sudan. If anything, our administration should do the opposite in order to pressure the perpetrators of the Darfur genocide. Namely, the U.S. should lead the international community in imposing targeted multilateral sanctions against Khartoum’s senior leaders.”

Why: Now’s not the time to let up. Last week, The New York Times reported that the U.S. is considering normalizing ties with the Sudanese government and lifting the unilateral sanctions that are currently in place against it. This would be in exchange for Khartoum’s acceptance of Thai and Nepalese peacekeepers into Darfur, among other things.

Here’s the problem, though: Sudan has already formally agreed to let these UN peacekeepers in.

The U.S. cannot take this conciliatory approach to stopping genocide. If anything, the current administration needs to do the exact opposite — it needs to ramp up the pressure by helping to impose targeted multilateral sanctions against Khartoum’s senior leaders.

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If you were invited to a party hosted by the enablers of the genocide of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, would you go?

Join me in urging President Bush not to attend the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Tell President Bush to take a stand for human rights and skip the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

China has the power to convince the Sudanese government to accept deployment of the United Nations-African Union (UNAMID) peacekeeping forces for Darfur. But instead China remains Sudan’s major weapons provider, largest foreign investor and trade partner, and diplomatic apologist.

President Bush must not sit quietly and watch the lighting of the Olympic torch—under the ‘one world, one dream’ banner—unless China has used its influence to pressure the Sudanese government to allow the effective deployment of the UNAMID peacekeeping force.

We can support the Olympic Games, but we cannot support China’s tolerance for the atrocities being committed in Sudan. Beijing should not be allowed to bask in the warm glow of peace and brotherhood associated with the opening games if China is still underwriting atrocities in Darfur.

Make sure President Bush gets the message: Stay home unless China uses its influence to get peacekeepers effectively deployed in Darfur.

After you have sent your message, please click here to ask your friends and family to join you in calling on President Bush to skip the opening ceremonies.

Thank you for your commitment to the people of Darfur.

Best regards,
Colleen Connors
Save Darfur Coalition

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In Darfur there is a story that is being told, re-told, and told again. It is a story of loss, fear, and trauma. Of children’s fates being dictated by armed men. It is a not a story that we want to tell you. But it is a story you must hear.

Today is the Day for Darfur, which marks the fifth anniversary of one of the world’s bloodiest conflicts. Over 200,000 people have been killed and over two million have been forced to flee from their homes and villages. Children barely old enough to walk, yet alone run, have seen their homes burnt and razed to the ground, their mothers raped and their fathers killed. Most are now holed up in sprawling camps, traumatized and living in fear. Children in Darfur draw pictures of bombs and guns. It is all they have ever known. Childhood is under attack in Darfur.

It is time to change the narrative. It is time to tell a different story. This April many children in Darfur will be reaching their fifth birthdays without ever having known peace. The world needs to wake up. For too long it has let these children suffer. Our politicians need to act on Darfur. It is time they demanded an immediate ceasefire, fully supported by the peacekeepers, and punish anyone who tries to block their deployment. They must also do more to support a peace process based on justice and human rights, so there can be hope of an end to the suffering.

The children of Darfur didn’t ask for this war, but are living their days caught in the crossfire of reverberating bullets. They must be allowed to be children again. Despite the daily terror they face, they still have hopes and dreams. The world needs to act now to give the children of Darfur a future.

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In response to the ongoing suffering of the Darfuri people, the very least our Congress can do is provide the funding needed for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid.

The upcoming emergency supplemental bill is the only opportunity for Congress to provide critical financial assistance to the Darfuri people this year. Please click here to send an email to your legislators — demand that the U.S. plays its part by fully funding these urgent needs.

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Dropping the Torch
By DAVE EGGERS
March 23, 2008

San Francisco — THERE’S only one stop in North America on the Olympic torch’s 95,000-mile trip from Athens to Beijing, and that’s here. On April 9, standing side by side with sports fans along the parade route, there will be thousands of protesters who hope to bring attention to China’s complicity in the genocide in Darfur.

When the presidential campaigns swung, ever so briefly, through California, those advocating for Darfur tried to get the issue into the debates and on television. But nothing seemed to work. The last time a questioner raised the issue in a significant forum was during one of the YouTube debates last year.

During a speech in November, Hillary Rodham Clinton said of Darfur: “Every day we fail to act is a betrayal of our common values.” In a YouTube video last year, Barack Obama said: “We can’t say ‘never again,’ and then allow it to happen again.” In a similar video, John McCain said the United States “has the obligation to lead, to act.” But since then, the campaigns have been quiet on the subject of the 21st century’s first genocide.

It’s easy in California, far from the active primaries and farther from Sudan and China, to feel powerless. That’s why the organizers of the protest feel they have a rare opportunity to put the crisis back on the national stage. In 418,000 copies of the April 4 edition of The San Francisco Chronicle, subscribers will get a placard that on one side explains the connections between China and the genocide in Sudan, and on the other side says, “China: Extinguish the Flames of Genocide in Darfur.” How’s that for an early morning jolt?

The placard and the protest are the work of a group called the San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition. Its thousand or so members have been agitating for more than a year to remind Americans that the violence in Sudan is increasing and that the time to act is now.

There are, of course, plenty of other issues that require discussion in this campaign, and Sudan can’t be part of every stump speech. Then again, maybe it should be. Numerous reports, in Darfur and in southern Sudan, indicate that violence is at a two-year high and that the country might be on the verge of a new and perhaps all-encompassing conflict.

My friend Valentino Achak Deng, a refugee from Sudan, just got back from southern Sudan last week where he was beginning construction on an educational complex in his hometown. He reports that along the southern border, there have been weekly clashes between the Sudanese Army and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, a rebel group that fought a long and protracted war with the government in the 1980s and ’90s.

Hundreds have been killed, and a good portion of the residents of the south fear there will again be war. If this happens, it could make the conflict in Darfur look like a skirmish.

“All the candidates have plans for what they’ll do in Sudan if they’re elected,” said Martina Knee of the Bay Area coalition’s executive committee. “But that’s too late, too long from now. They have to use their bully pulpit now.”

Will the demonstrators lining the parade route bring the topic back into the campaign and into the public consciousness? Is it audacious to hope?

Dave Eggers is the author, most recently, of the novel “What Is the What.”

Original link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/opinion/23eggers.html

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Today, we’re launching a new campaign to halt the deadly transfer of arms from China to Sudan, and I’m asking you to join us.

“Made in China: Stop Arms Sales to Sudan” comes at a critical moment. The continuing violence in Darfur, combined with China’s latest “charm offensive,” gives us a unique moment to get China-the largest provider of small arms by far-to promote peace by halting its arm sales to Sudan.

Help us stop China’s sale of arms to Sudan. Sign the petition today.

China claims that its arms sales to Sudan are insignificant, but a report being released today by Human Rights First argues that since 2004, China has supplied Sudan with some 90% of its small arms and munitions-the types of weapons and bullets that are used to kill, maim, and leave people homeless in Darfur.

More than five years of conflict in Darfur has left at least 200,000 people dead and more than 2.5 million people homeless, with new attacks on villages in West Darfur recently. China has significant leverage with the government to Sudan that it could use to help end the conflict. But so long as China continues to ship weapons to Sudan, it sends a message of indifference to Sudan’s leaders. With your help, we will work to reverse that.

Help us stop China’s sale of arms to Sudan. Sign the petition today.

Thank You,
Betsy Apple
Crimes Against Humanity Program Director

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Investors Against Genocide is running a campaign to make sure mutual funds do not make investments that contribute to genocide. They have submitted resolutions to more than 50 mutual funds.

As early as March 19, large and small shareholders of the following Fidelity funds will have a chance to vote on our resolution: Blue Chip Growth, Blue Chip Value, Capital & Income, Contrafund, Dividend Growth, Equity Income, Growth & Income Fund, Low Priced Stock, Puritan, Real Estate Investment, Select Health Care Portfolio, and Utilities.

Votes at more Fidelity funds plus other major fund companies, including Vanguard, Franklin Templeton and Barclays, will follow. To see the list of mutual funds with a pending vote on genocide-free investing, please visit: www.investorsagainstgenocide.org/shareholderhelp.

If you are a mutual fund shareholder, you have a vote in the way your money is managed, just as you have a vote in the presidential race this year. This year, as part of this unprecedented campaign, hundreds of thousands of mutual fund shareholders will have the power to vote for genocide-free investing.

In the coming weeks and months, investors across the country will receive their proxy statements. This year, when you receive the proxy report from your investment firm, DON’T THROW IT AWAY! It is your unique opportunity to vote for genocide-free investing.

Tell your mutual fund company that you do not want your money invested in genocide.

Whether you own one share or thousands, you can have a voice in genocide-free investing. Please vote your shares by returning your proxy or attending the shareholder meeting.

For more information about genocide-free investing, please visit www.investorsagainstgenocide.org.

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Second, some clear-sighted commentary on Darfur from TNR’s Editors:
“Balkan Ghosts”

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Stephanie Hancock says she saw a helicopter flying across the sky, then heard explosions and saw clouds of smoke coming from the ground.

Nations sending peacekeepers to Darfur are due to discuss how to speed up the force’s deployment later at the UN.

Earlier, Russia offered to provide some of the helicopters which the force needs to move around the vast area.

So far only 9,000 of the planned 26,000 troops are on the ground.

Scared

Our correspondent in Baga Katala on the eastern Chadian border with Sudan was with a group of refugees who had fled previous bombing in Darfur.

They said Sudan’s military wanted to stop them returning home.

Thousands of people have fled a recent government offensive in West Darfur.

Our correspondent said the helicopter was a dark colour — the refugees said the Sudanese military helicopters are black.

She said the refugees were clearly upset to see the bombing and scared in case some bombs fell over the border.

The UN is moving the refugees further into Chad away from the border.

Sudan’s government says it has destroyed several rebel camps during its offensive in the Jebel Moun area.

At least 200,000 people have died in Sudan’s five-year conflict, with more than two million fleeing their homes.

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With the humanitarian crisis stemming from Darfur continuing to destabilize not only Sudan, but the surrounding region, including Chad and the Central African Republic, it has become increasingly urgent that the international community develop, fund, and implement a “comprehensive regional strategy.”

The United States and President Bush have the abilit3y and responsibility to protect by using their influential position on the United Nations Security Council and financial ability to provide humanitarian assistance to the region.

House Resolution 1011 urges President Bush to stick to his promises by:
“Urging the UN Security Council to implement sanctions against the government of Sudan for its detrimental actions and the continued destabilization of the region, and continue US humanitarian assistance to the refugees and internally displaced people in Chad and the Central African Republic.”

This week, ask your Representative to call on President Bush to stick to his promises and implement a comprehensive regional strategy by co-sponsoring House Resolution 1011. CLICK HERE to send an email to your Representative.

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S. Res. 455, a resolution “Calling for peace in Darfur” is rapidly gaining momentum but needs more cosponsors.

Currently, S. Res. 455 has 25 co-sponsors; Congressional staffers and activists are aiming for 50 co-sponsors to show broad support for this resolution. There is only a short window of time to plug in with Senators and urge them to cosponsor this important legislation as the Senate Congressional Leadership would like to ‘hotline’ S. Res. 455 on Monday. (Hotlining is a procedure to quickly move legislation to the Senate floor for a vote.)

Advocacy groups and activists could best help by urging Senators to co-sponsor S. Res. 455. Senator’s can be contacted via the Capitol switchboard: 202–224–3121.

In brief, S. Res. 455 urges:
- support from all parties for a ceasefire;
- cooperation from Khartoum regarding the full deployment of UNAMID;
- broad representation from Darfur’s civil society at a future round of peace talks;
- unity among rebel groups to help end the conflict; and
- support for the CPA.

The full text of the legislation is available here.

The original sponsor of S. Res. 455 is Senator Durbin (IL). Current co-sponsors include: Senators Allard (CO), Biden (DE), Boxer (CA), Brownback (KS), Burr (SC), Chambliss (GA), Coleman (MN), Feingold (WI), Feinstein (CA), Hagel (NE), Klobuchar (MN), Lautenberg (NJ), Leahy (VT), Lieberman (CT), Menendez (NJ), Mikulski (MD), Obama (IL), Schumer (NY), Snowe (ME), Specter (PA), Sununu (NH), Voinovich (OH) and Whitehouse (RI).

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China’s special envoy on Darfur, Liu Guijin, recently criticized Sudan for not allowing UNAMID (the United Nations-African Union hybrid peacekeeping mission for Darfur) to fully deploy. Such criticism by China — a powerful friend of Sudan — is a sign of the effect of continuing pressure on China. Now: Click here to add your voice to the pressure for action in addition to words at HumanRightsFirst.org.

China is by far Sudan’s largest known provider of small arms, small arms parts, and ammunition. Trade data maintained by the United Nations shows that for the period 1999 to 2005, Sudan imported a total some $80 million worth of armaments, and that nearly 57 percent came from China (including Hong Kong). Urge the government of China to immediately halt all arms sales to Sudan and support the extension of the United Nations Security Council arms embargo on Darfur to all of Sudan at HumanRightsFirst.org.

And, the Darfur Movement Needs You in San Francisco on April 9:

San Francisco is the only North American stop for the 2008 Beijing Olympics torch relay around the world. Save Darfur Coalition and we ask you to take a “Day for Darfur” and join us along the relay route to continue to ask China to use its influence with the Government of Sudan to end the Darfur genocide. For more information and to sign up, visit www.savedarfur.org/china and click on “Events.” Email any questions to info@darfursf.org or call 415-221-8400.

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Maybe some stockholders prefer not to know that their investments support a government responsible for massive human rights abuses. But in today’s globalized world, stockholders must make it their business to know the human rights impact of their investments. Increase the pressure on investment firms to support human rights by taking a stand for Darfur.

Thousands of you have already joined with Amnesty International to call on firms investing in Sudan’s oil sector to make socially responsible investments. By using their influence, these firms have the power to help put an end to the Sudanese government’s stalling tactics against the full deployment of peacekeepers in Darfur. Thanks in part to your actions, JPMorgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, T. Rowe Price and Citigroup have begun taking positive steps to address our concerns. However, we need your help to get the same commitment from two other firms – Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo.

This April, large institutional shareholders that own stock in Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo will be asked to vote on a resolution that encourages these firms to recognize their human rights responsibilities when investing in Sudan’s oil industry. Make sure Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo shareholders do their part to protect human rights.

With your help, we can rally support for these resolutions and ultimately ensure the speedy deployment of peacekeepers to Darfur. Demand socially responsible investment in Sudan!

It is time to send a clear message to the Government of Sudan that human rights are worth investing in. Take action and support a socially responsible solution.

Sincerely,

Meredith Larson
Campaign Director
Amnesty International USA
Campaign to Save Darfur

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The United States has imposed sanctions against the genocidal regime in Sudan, including placing restrictions on companies that do business there in U.S. dollars. The Government of Sudan is in the process of converting its reserves from U.S. dollars to euros. It is essential for the European Union to impose banking and other economic sanctions on Sudan and its government leaders responsible for the Darfur genocide.

Please send your message to the EU at http://noeurosforgenocide.org.
Please scroll down to Option 2 and send your email.

This is really important! The U.S. cannot end this genocide alone.

And, this week, please forward this email to your acquaintances in Europe and ask them to go to http://noeurosforgenocide.org and take action.

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What to say: 1-800-436-6243. Urge President Bush to deploy a team of U.S. diplomats working for peace in Darfur and all of Sudan.

Why it is important: In 2004, President Bush was instrumental in brokering a peace agreement to end a 21-year civil war in Sudan. To ensure peace for all of Sudan, this agreement must be implemented.

Additional information: An all-Sudan solution is necessary to bring lasting peace to Darfur. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and Abyei* Protocol are two key elements of the all-Sudan solution, which the United States must work to effectively implement.

President Bush was instrumental in the adoption of the CPA and the Abyei Protocol, in particular. The success of these agreements will define President Bush’s legacy. If the CPA collapses, there will be little chance for peace in Darfur. President Bush must:
- deploy a team of U.S. diplomats to work on implementing the CPA and forging peace in Darfur; and;
- work to impose a cost on individuals obstructing implementation of the CPA or the deployment of the UNAMID peacekeeping force by pressing for targeted sanctions at the United Nations Security Council.

Currently, the Abyei Protocol is not being implemented. Continuing failure to implement the the protocol will have dangerous repercussions for the South, Darfur and all of Sudan.

To learn more about the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and its impact on Darfur, download the Genocide Intervention Network’s one-pager on the CPA.

To learn more about the Abyei Protocol, read the Enough Project’s latest Strategy Paper, Abyei: Sudan’s Kashmir.

To submit feedback on your call, click here.

*Abyei is a highly-contested, oil-rich region located between North and South Sudan. The Abyei Protocol, which would enable the people of the Abyei region to decide whether to become part of the North or part of the South, is currently facing hurdles related to implementation.

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WHAT: Sign a petition that will be sent to the current members of the UN Security Council. The petition calls on the UNSC to:

- “visit Khartoum in May 2008 to ask for the Sudanese government to hand over the two suspects” [i.e., Ahmed Haroun and Ali Kushayb, who are responsible for committing war crimes and other crimes against the people of Darfur]
- “impose targeted sanctions (asset freezes) on the Sudanese Government ministers protecting these two men”

WHY: The International Criminal Court has an open case on Darfur. It’s been more than 280 days since the ICC issued indictments against Haroun and Kushayb. And still the two criminals have yet to see their jail cells in the Hague.

ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo needs the UN Security Council’s help in order to drive forward his case against the abovementioned — such help would in turn generate some much needed momentum for possible future cases targeting other Sudanese government perpetrators.

Most importantly, bringing Haroun and Kushayb to justice would make the Sudanese government think twice about continuing its genocide against innocent men, women, and children in Darfur.

HOW: Click here to sign this “Wanted for War Crimes” petition.

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