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January 23rd, 2012

Bi-Weekly News Update

A summary of the news from the Sudans and the DRC the past two weeks. Click on the title for the full article.

SUDAN & SOUTH SUDAN

New Ethnic Clashes in South Sudan Claim 57 Lives
On January 11, about 60 Murle fighters massacred 57 Lou Nuer civilians in northern Jonglei state in response to deadly attacks launched by Lou Nuer fighters the previous week. In addition to the fatalities that were comprised of mostly Murle women and children, 53 were left wounded and over 20,000 cattle were stolen from the Lou Nuer villages. With an estimated 60,000 people in danger as a result of this ongoing ethnic conflict, the UN is preparing an emergency aid mission.

Obama Declares South Sudan Eligible for Receiving Weaponry
In light of South Sudan’s vulnerability to air raids that have been reportedly mediated by the Sudan Air Force, U.S. President Barack Obama has declared that providing South Sudan with defensive weaponry would “strengthen the security of the United States and promote world peace.” This statement, however, does not confirm any actual plans for an exchange. The Sudan Tribune has also speculated that the United States is likely wary of supplying weaponry to a country that is currently marred by its own ethnic conflict.

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Posted in The Reporter by STAND Canada
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January 15th, 2012

STAND Digest – January 2012.

This month we look at developments in South Sudan, examine the violence that has erupted in Jonglei State, and give a chronological update on events following the elections in the DRC. Plus, STAND Canada’s Deputy Advocacy Director comments on the organization’s decision to release its first ever policy recommendation regarding Canada’s involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

Download the  pdf here.

Posted in Darfur Digest by STAND Canada
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January 1st, 2012

Our New Year’s resolution.

2011 ended with STAND Canada’s decision to make some very important changes to our mandate and structure. Thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way. 

In 2011, we witnessed many historic events, including the birth of the world’s newest nation, South Sudan. We also witnessed the people of Libya’s freedom from their corrupt regime, in addition to the birth of the Arab Spring movement. This year we urge you to help support us spread the movement of freedom to help us prevent future genocides. 

As mentioned in our holiday message, STAND is spreading our focus beyond the Sudans and the Democratic Republic of Congo to three more regions. Eventually throughout the year we will be spreading beyond these five regions as we build the capacity to do so. By broadening our range of regions we hope to become an accessible source for education and action for all Canadians. If you haven’t already done so, please consider supporting our path to growth by donating towards our holiday campaign.

As we approach the ninth year since the onset of the Darfur genocide and many preventable genocides since, I urge you to join STAND in fulfilling our New Year’s resolution: help us end genocide in 2012. We deem the occurrences of past genocides as a shame to our international community, and as a result the modern prevalence is simply unacceptable. 

Thank you for joining us on our journey of encouraging Canadian decision makers to stand against humanity’s gravest disasters through international policy and political will.

Best wishes for this year ahead. Together we can make genocide history – let this be the year!

–

Monica Chakravarty is Principal Director of STAND Canada.

Posted in The Activist by STAND Canada
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December 28th, 2011

STAND Digest – December 2011

This month we  look at developments in South Sudan, the peace and the negotiation process between the Sudans, Contextualizing the DRC conflict, and a policy update from the STAND Canada team.

Click here to download the pdf.

Posted in Darfur Digest by STAND Canada
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December 21st, 2011

Bi-Weekly News Update

A summary of the news from the Sudans and the DRC the past two weeks. Click on the title for the full article.

Sudan & South Sudan

UN Says 2.7 Million South Sudanese Will Need food aid in 2012

Around 2.7 million people in Africa’s newest nation will need aid in the New Year due to crop failures and violence. Although South Sudan won independence in July, the new nation has been struggling to end tribal and rebel violence, overcome an economic crisis, and build up state institutions. The country imports food from Sudan but border trade has been hard due to armed clashes. There has been an influx in the population due to people fleeing from northern border states where Khartoum’s army has been fighting with insurgents and South Sudanese returning home due to the independence. Erratic rains have caused food prices to shoot upwards and have made it even harder for the young nation to feed the country of 8.3 million.

Activists warn of “genocide” in the Jonglei State

Round table discussions on the Luo Nuer and Murie conflicts in Juba organized by Minority Rights Group International and Boma Development Initiative warned there could be an outbreak of “genocide” in the Southern Sudan region. It could be sparked by a lack of political action to resolve the conflict between the Luo Nuer and Murle communities. The weakness is blamed on the judiciary system. The groups called for empowerment of local government so they can handle community disputes. According to Jonglei state officials at least 3,000 people have been killed in 2011 in the ongoing inter-ethnic conflict. The UN Office for the Coordination in contrast reported that around 2,500 were killed in 2009 due to violent conflicts throughout the whole of South Sudan.

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Posted in The Reporter by STAND Canada
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