Sudan

October 12, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) made the following statement on the announcement that the Sudan People's Liberation Movement withdrew from Sudan's government of national unity because of the ruling party's breaches of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement:    » read more »

10 October 2007 -- United Kingdom based human rights group Amnesty International warned Tuesday that the eastern part of Darfur would soon come under deadly attacks if care is not taken to prevent the imminent danger. This comes after the group said it received reports suggesting that Sudanese armed forces are gathering in large numbers in some towns close to the northern part of Darfur.    » read more »

Pledges to accelerate the peacekeeping process, establish a no-fly zone, increase sanctions and lead a divestment effort

Oct 6, 2007 -- Columbia, South Carolina – Today, Senator John Edwards highlighted his six-point plan for America to take leadership in ending the genocide in Darfur and offered words of encouragement to the Darfur Action Group of South Carolina and other similar organizations taking action today to end the genocide.    » read more »

04 October 2007 -- Moves underway in the US Congress to impose new sanctions against Sudan have met opposition from the Bush Administration, which is telling legislators the restrictions could derail diplomatic efforts. Two well-placed officials testified at yesterday’s Senate Banking Committee hearing on a bill encouraging US states to divest from companies doing business with Sudan.    » read more »

02 October 2007 -- The Secretary General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) has accused the ruling National Congress Party of Sudan of violating the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). The agreement was signed in 2005 to end 21 years of civil war between Northern and Southern Sudan.

Pagan Amum also says the United States has agreed to remove Southern Sudan from the list of sanctions against the Khartoum government. He is part of a delegation visiting the United States from the government of Southern Sudan and the SPLA.    » read more »

September 19, 2007 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today issued the following statement on the State Board of Administration’s implementation of the Protecting Florida’s Investments Act:    » read more »

Amendment Included as Part of the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act

September 18, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced unanimous Senate approval of an amendment to the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act she introduced to address the Bush Administration’s response to the crisis in Darfur.    » read more »

29 August 2007 -- Decades of drought in the Sahel desert and its vast mineral reserves, have forced nomads to defend their pastures from both farmers and foreign investors. Land disputes have erupted into violent conflicts in parts of the Sahel, stretching from Senegal to Sudan, in recent years. This month, violence has escalated in Niger and Mali, involving nomad Tuareg fighters. As nomads are drawn into violence, analysts say it will become even harder for governments to end nomads' isolation and marginalization.    » read more »

08 August 2007 -- A Darfur rebel group says it has shot down a Sudanese government fighter jet. A spokesman for the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said Wednesday that the group brought down a MiG-29 jet on Tuesday.

A Sudanese defense spokesman denied the claim, saying he knows of no missing plane.

Rebels say the plane had been bombing civilian villages in the region. They say the plane was shot down south of Adila, in the eastern part of South Darfur state.    » read more »

07 August 2007 -- Mia Farrow has offered to relinquish her freedom so that an ailing Darfur rebel can get safe passage out of a hospital.

In an August 6 letter posted on her website, the 62-year-old actress-activist made the offer to Sudan's President Omar Al-Bashir.

Suleiman Jamous, a moderate who has been a key link between Darfur rebels and aid workers in the beleaguered Sudanese region, is in a U.N. hospital suffering from abdominal problems. The U.N. said he is free to leave, but he fears arrest or government reprisal.    » read more »

August 1, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Last night, just hours after the U.N. Security Council announced its decision to authorize the deployment of peacekeeping troops to Darfur, the Senate passed a bipartisan resolution (S. Res. 276) sponsored by Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and Ranking Member Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) which calls for the immediate deployment of a peacekeeping mission to Darfur and lays out benchmarks for that mission.    » read more »

Manila, 01 August 2007 (By Nancy-Amelia Collins) -- Foreign ministers from around the world have begun discussions in Manila on establishing a nuclear safety watchdog for the Asian region. The discussions are taking place in advance of the annual ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila, where VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins compiled this report.

The ASEAN Regional Forum groups the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with 17 others, including the European Union, the United States, China and Russia.    » read more »

New York, 31 July 2007 (By Victoria Cavaliere) -- The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved sending an expanded peacekeeping force to Sudan's Darfur region. From VOA's New York Bureau, Victoria Cavaliere reports that the resolution follows eight months of negotiations over the make-up and mandate of the force.

The Security Council adopted the resolution Tuesday, just 24 hours after co-sponsors Britain and France circulated a finalized draft - the fourth revision this month.    » read more »

President Bush welcomes British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to the presidential retreat at Camp David, Md

30 July 2007 (By VOA News) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Bush are expected to discuss the war in Iraq, global trade, and the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region during talks Monday.

The two leaders are at Camp David, the presidential retreat outside the U.S. capital in rural Maryland.

Mr. Brown arrived in Washington late Sunday and joined President Bush at Camp David for a dinner meeting.    » read more »

28 July 2007 (By VOA News) -- A spokesman for Steven Spielberg says the film director may quit his involvement with the 2008 Beijing Olympics unless China does more to stop the violence in Darfur.

Andy Spahn told the ABC news network in an article on its web site that the director will decide in the next few weeks whether to resign from his position as artistic adviser to the games.    » read more »