I've been getting this email newsletter from SaveDarfur.org. Lots of interesting stuff this week...
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National Day of Action for Darfur: on Wednesday, September 21 communities across the nation will hold events to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur. Find an event near you
Save Darfur Banners: Several religious congregations are displaying "A Call to Your Conscience" banners outside of their buildings to call attention to the crisis in Darfur. The Save Darfur Coalition is offering banners, at no charge, to places of worship, schools, and community groups interested in displaying them prominently. If your organization is committed to helping raise awareness in your community, please send your name, e-mail, mailing address, phone number, and the location the banner will be displayed to (alice@savedarfur.org).News Update This week’s update is divided into two sections: News and Analysis
News
Zoellick Details Discussions With China on Future of the Korean Peninsula
Washington Post - 9/07/2005
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her deputy, Robert B. Zoellick, have begun to explore with Chinese leaders the economic and political future of the Korean Peninsula. Zoellick said he warned the Chinese that the deals with such countries as Sudan, Burma and Iran had the prospect of backfiring from a broader foreign policy perspective.Final Declaration Ready for U.N. Summit Approval
USINFO - 9/13/2005
With applause and relief, weary diplomats ended the 59th session of the United Nations General Assembly and officially opened the 60th session on September 13 after last-minute agreement on a final declaration for world leaders to adopt at the U.N. 60th Anniversary Summit. … The 35-page document outlines goals and broad statements of principles in the main areas of human rights; development and poverty reduction; peacebuilding and democracy; terrorism; HIV/AIDS and malaria; and U.N. management reform.
It also includes an acknowledgement that the international community has the responsibility to use "appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means" to help protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.Confusion, violence as Darfur parties head to talks
Reuters - 9/14/2005
Negotiators from the Sudanese government and two Darfur rebel movements said on Wednesday they were heading to Nigeria for a new round of peace talks despite an escalation of fighting.
Fierce armed clashes in Darfur claims 17 lives
Kuwait News Agency - 9/11/2005
At least 17 people were killed and up to 56 others suffered wounds in fierce clashes that pitted a local militia against another in the troubled western region of Darfur, the Sudanese Press Center reported on Sunday. The press center reported that the fighting involved warriors from the Movement for the Liberation of Sudan and the Movement for Justice and Equality, the mainstream militias in the violence-infested region, known for famine and violence.
Sudan: Darfur rainy season slows humanitarian efforts
ReliefWeb - 9/13/2005
Fighting and insecurity remain a problem in parts of the Darfur region, while the rainy season is interfering with humanitarian relief operations. While the AU troops have improved security in camps and towns, outside of those areas is still very dangerous. The rainy season has caused problems.
Evangelical leader urges US action on Darfur
Catholic World News - 9/09/2005
One year has passed since U.S. President George Bush declared that the violence in the Darfur region was tantamount to genocide. But little progress has been made in easing the humanitarian crisis, according Richard Cizik of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE).Hundreds Rally at White House for “A Day for Darfur”
Political Affairs - 9/09/2005
To mark the one-year anniversary of the Bush Administration's declaration of genocide in Darfur, hundreds of activists joined leadership figures at a rally outside the White House today to denounce the continuing failure of political leadership from President Bush on this crisis. The death toll in Darfur is now estimated to be more than 400,000 people, with a further 2.5 million people displaced and left homeless as a result of the ongoing government-sponsored genocide.
Katrina moved us to act, so why not Darfur?
The Register Guard- 9/12/2005
In the absence of similarly detailed coverage of Darfur (or any coverage, for that matter), perhaps we can use the imagery of Katrina and its victims as a proxy. All the heart-wrenching emotions we have seen among Katrina's victims must surely be present among the victims of the Janjaweed. As we act to aid the victims of Katrina, should we not act, as well, to aid the victims of Darfur?
Genocide, One Year On
The Washington Post – 9/14/2005
A year ago, then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell declared that the violence in the Darfur region of Sudan justified the term "genocide." That was the first time since the adoption of the U.N. Genocide Convention in 1948 that a government had accused a sitting counterpart of this worst of all humanitarian crimes, and Mr. Powell chose his words carefully. The progress over the past year demonstrates that the United States and its allies do have the power to save lives by the tens of thousands. It also suggests that, if the Bush administration had pushed harder and earlier, it could have saved many more people. This lesson must be remembered over the coming weeks.
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