The International Criminal Court issued a second arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al Bashir on three counts of genocide on Monday, July 12th. Please encourage your constituents to act by alerting them to call Secretary Clinton at 1-800-Genocide or send a message to President Obama and Secretary Clinton.

Elected officials will be in their home states from August 9th to September 10th. Genocide Intervention Network has created a tool to help students meet their Members of Congress. Please help to spread the word.

Amnesty International is urging the U.S. government to strengthen its support for International Criminal Court arrest warrants for war crimes suspects in Darfur. Ask your constituents to send a message that calls for a commitment to arrest Bashir on U.S. soil, cooperation from allies, and increased engagement with United Nations Security Council and African Union member states.

When the International Criminal Court issued a second arrest warrant for Omar al Bashir on Monday, July 12, rights groups responded with press statements, a joint letter of 62 organizations, blogs, and multiple calls to action. The U.S. government called on Sudan to cooperate with the I.C.C., while a new report "Darfurian Voices" cites broad Darfuri support for I.C.C. Arrest warrants.

A group of twenty five organizations has released "Renewing the Pledge," a paper that outlines ten recommendations for CPA guarantors in preparation for the January 2011 referendum in Sudan. The paper also emphasizes the importance of analyzing Sudan’s current political crises together in light of their interdependence. Read the executive summary on the Save Darfur Coalition’s blog.

The Prevention and Protection Working Group has created a briefing booklet entitled, "Preventing Mass Atrocities: An Agenda for Policymakers and Citizens." Available for online PDF download, the booklet's diplomacy, development, early warning, international action and security assistance strategies make it a valuable and comprehensive resource for individuals, both inside and outside of the government, who want to prevent conflict.

Many say that a picture is worth a thousand words; one image can tell a story of suffering, despair, violence and hope, all through the intricate waves of a brush stroke. The Save Darfur Coalition’s new Creative Community is dedicated to visual arts, poetry, writing, films, music and performing arts that activists have used to amplify their message of peace for Sudan. Please contact us to contribute your work or receive updates from the creative community.

Enough's John Prendergast and author Dave Eggers wrote a New York Times op-ed on the referendum in Sudan on Monday. Meanwhile, U.N.A.M.I.D. published its monthly Voices of Darfur, Refugees International published its recommendations on the upcoming referendum, and Human Rights Watch reported on the risks that election-related human rights abuses pose to January's vote.

221 people died in Darfur this June, while 500 died in May. The Save Darfur Coalition has launched a timeline mapping the rise in attacks, abductions and other violence after the April elections. The timeline illustrates the dangerous situation in which civilians, peacekeepers, and humanitarian aid workers in Sudan continue to find themselves. The page also links to related blogs and media coverage and ways you can spread the word.

Protect Civilians from Retaliation to ICC Arrest Warrant
Help Your Students Meet Their Congress Members
Stronger Support for I.C.C. Warrants
Responses to a Second Arrest Warrant for Bashir
CPA and Referendum: Policy Recommendations
Preventing Genocide for Policymakers and Citizens
Arts for Darfur: a New Creative Community
Partner Publications
Mapping Increased Violence in Darfur

To understand the crisis in Darfur, it is important to understand its historical, political and geographic contexts as well, which often include South Sudan. Marginalization was a contributing motive for both conflicts.  In the same way that the Sudanese government used Janjaweed militia against Darfuris, it used Darfuris to attack villages in the South.

Darfur in the News

BBC: Abyei killings 'intended to upset Sudan referendum'.
Sudan Tribune: Sudan releases members of 'Girifna' amid reports of torture.
AFP: Holdout Darfur rebel group to join peace talks.
Reuters: Darfur violence kills 221 in June: peacekeepers.
AFP: Fresh fighting erupts in Darfur: rebels.
Washington Times: Sudan leader charged with three counts of genocide.

 

On Our Blog

Renewing the Pledge – joint paper released
Genocide Arrest Warrant for Bashir: Take Action
ICC Genocide Warrant: What does it mean?
Reactions to the ICC’s Genocide Arrest Warrant for Omar al-Bashir
Remarks by Ambassador Rice on Civilian Protection
A Visit With Joey Cheek

 

Words of the Week

 “The ICC has just indicted Pres. Bashir of Sudan for genocide in Darfur, in addition to previous charges of crimes against humanity. Now the challenge is to see him delegitimized, ousted and brought to trial -- a step toward ending impunity for dictators. But in the meantime, I fear he may unleash a new civil war in Sudan between north and south”

- Nick Kristof, The New York Times

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