Time to Press for Tougher Sanctions

As Elizabeth noted in her post below, Sudan has once again backtracked on its pledge to permit a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur. For the full story, see the article "Meeting on Darfur Ends with Little Visible Progress" in Monday's New York Times.

This intransigence, by now all too familiar, indicates it's time to press for full global sanctions against the energy corporations and oil infrastructure that finances the Sudanese regime's brutality. Click here to sign a petition and join SaveDarfur's campaign to encourage Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to press for tough sanctions at Monday's strategy meeting with China and France.

Breaking Good News

On an otherwise tragic day we have a small bright spot of good news from the BBC:

More than 3,000 United Nations troops will be allowed into Darfur, according to Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol. The apparent change of heart comes after months of international pressure, but there is no UN confirmation so far.

This is particularly important because the violence continues:

"This is the greatest concentration of human suffering in the world and an outrage that affronts the world's moral values," Penny Lawrence, Oxfam's international director said after a tour of Darfur...

For more info and analysis see Coalition for Darfur or my blog, Lives in the Balance.

Real Peace? Unlikely.

Well, it seems the leader of Sudan Omar al-Bashir has finally agreed to engage in peace talks with the rebels. The Sudanese President will be meeting with the rebels and the Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in Libya. Although, are they really peace talks? I highly doubt it. Omar al-Bashir's government has been aiding the rebels with weapons. Why would he now try and have peace? In my opinion, the Sudanese President has only agreed to these peace talks to appease the nations putting pressure on his government. It's an act; a show. I truly would like to believe that there could be peace in Darfur, but I don't think this is the way it will happen. Omar al-Bashir denies aiding the rebels, but he does not deny that he believes the people of Darfur do not have to right to live in Sudan, or live at all. Considering that the rebels have not done as Omar al-Bashir has requested, it doesn't make sense for him to want a reconciliation. My question to you is: What do you think will come out of these talks? Think about it.

The world's worst dictators & me

Hi everyone, I am Martha Heinemann Bixby and I'm here to introduce myself with my first post. My focus for this blog will be the North Caucuses, but I'll probably pop in with my opinions on all kinds of things, from Darfur to dictators, Bosnia to the movies Blood Diamond or Babel.

Of course, despite the title to this post I am not one of the world's worst dictators - although I would enjoy a larger-than-life rotating gold statue of myself in my hometown. What I want to talk about here, in my first post, is Parade Magazine's annual list of the world's 20 worst dictators, released last weekend. This list has a number of implications in the world of genocide studies, especially in activism and genocide prevention.

Topping the list for the 3rd year in a row is Omar al-Bashir, President of Sudan. According to Parade, "Omar al-Bashir retains his position as the worst dictator because of his ongoing deadly human-rights abuses in the Darfur region of Sudan. Over the last four years, at least 200,000 people there have been killed by pro-Bashir forces. Nationwide, 5.3 million have been driven from their homes, and more than 700,000 have fled the country. But at the UN last September, Bashir blamed international aid groups for exaggerating the problems as a ploy to raise money for their organizations. And in November, he argued that war-related deaths in Darfur were less than 9,000. Despite agreeing to a 60-day ceasefire last month, he has been accused by his people of ordering troops to continue their attacks." In 2005 when Parade first named Al-Bashir the #1 worst dictator I remember feeling so pleased that they actually recognized how awful he was, and the impunity with which he was killing his own people. However, I'm sure it was quite nearly a tie between him and Kim Jong Ill, #2 that year, it's just that al-Bashir tried a little harder to be an incredibly brutal ideologue.

Even beyond al-Bashir this year’s list of the world’s worst dictators is of interest to the genocide-prevention community. Number 3, Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei, is the man behind “all decisions regarding Iran’s relations, its nuclear program and domestic freedoms” according to Parade. That presumably includes President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s threats of genocide against Jews, Iran’s fueling of the ethnic civil war in Iraq and the Holocaust cartoon conference last year.

Parade’s commentary on dictator #4, China’s Hu Jintao, focuses on the human rights situation within China. Equally important, however, is China’s repeated involvement in ethnic conflicts around the globe – especially Darfur – to undermine human rights and reinforce the power of brutal regimes. This policy is in effect, many believe, so that China can have exclusive economic relations with these countries because the United States and other “Western” powers won’t deal with them. And yet, we’ll all watch the ’08 Olympics there… reminders of the ’36 Olympics, anyone? At least we have Olympian Joey Cheek on our side – too bad he’s a skater and so couldn’t boycott Beijing.

The final dictator I’ll discuss today squeezed in at #20, Vladimir Putin, his first year on the list (I guess with Saparmurad Niyazov gone and Fidel Castro rendered virtually powerless, there’s more room this year). Parade does not mention the situation in Chechnya in it’s profile of Putin, probably because there’ve been plenty of news-making human rights abuses in Russia beyond Chechnya in the past 12 months. Chechnya, one of the many regions that make-up the North Caucuses, remains an area of “Genocide Alert” for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Committee on Conscience due to the “Past persecution of Chechens as a people, The demonization of Chechens as a group within Russian society and The level of violence directed against Chechen civilians by Russian forces”. It is up to the world community to continue to monitor the situation in Chechnya so that Putin does not rise to replace al-Bashir as a genocidal world’s worst dictator.

(* the cartoon is from here)

ENOUGH

The Center for American Progress and International Crisis Group are collaborating in a new initiative,ENOUGH: the Project to End Genocide and Mass Atrocities. The first in the series, titled "The Answer To Darfur" and featuring Gayle Smith (Center for American Progress), John Prendergast (ICG), and Colin Thomas-Jensen (ICG), calls for a "coherent and synchronized strategy." How can nations overcome global complacency to reach such a strategy? The featured speakers propose a "3P" Strategy: Protect the Vulnerable, Punish the Perpetrators, and Promote Peace.

"Protect the Vulnerable" is a common goal of Darfur activists. Punishing the perpetrators, one might argue, is important only after the people have been protected. Promoting Peace. What exactly does this mean? Weren't we promoting peace while thrusting the Darfur Peace Agreement in May 2006 at noncomplying rebels? Is this the same kind of peace promoted in 2005 when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed between the North and South? While both sides did sign, whether progress is being made is questionable, and in 2009, the South will have the opportunity to vote for secession.

Prendergast and Jensen recognize that long-term peace requires a sustainable, inclusive political process. To act consistently with our favorite phrase "Never Again," we must consider human rights first, of course. This must be followed up, however, with sound, long-term action to establish stability. Herein lies the real challenge.

Sudan not fit to lead the African Union! Tell Condi!

Dave posted a link a few days ago for those of you who want to make a difference in Darfur, and today I'm inviting you do something similar.

In the coming days, Sudan is hoping to be elected chair of the Africa Union. The Sudanese government is a key player in the ongoing bloodshed in Darfur, supplying the janjaweed militias with weapons and technology to continue killing campaigns. It is imperative that they do not obtain this leadership role.

The only external peacekeeping forces the Sudanese government has permitted into the region have been African Union troops. If Sudan were leading the African Union, the only source of on-the-ground accountability would become subject to their leadership. The world cannot stand by and allow such a regime to be honored with this powerful and reputable leadership role.

Tell Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that it is urgent that she does all she can to urge African leaders not to elect Sudan the chair of the African Union (the organization of African States) next week.

http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/darfur2/8dkbx384y5xtbk8?