March 2010

Sudan Poll Set for April 11, But Will It Happen?

Posted by Laura Heaton on Mar 31, 2010

Less than two weeks from now, barring any last-minute change-ups, Sudanese will go to the polls for the first time since 1986. But plenty of hints of potential late-breaking curveballs were brewing this week, most notably the breaking news today that the South’s ruling party, the SPLM, would withdraw its candidate for president, Yasir Arman. Read More »

Is Darfur's Peacekeeping Chief Overly Optimistic?

Posted by Amanda Hsiao on Mar 31, 2010

In times of delicate political negotiations and fragile ceasefires, diplomats have to tread a fine rhetorical line. But even allowing for the usual excess of diplomatic optimism, some of the recent comments by the new UNAMID chief, Ibrahim Gambari, put a remarkably rosy spin on the situation in Darfur. Read More »

New Report from Enough: Deal Making in Sudan

Posted by Enough Team on Mar 31, 2010

A series of deals in last month over elements of Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement, or CPA, largely went under the radar of international media attention, but offer important insights into the current dynamics of deal making that may trigger a return to North-South war. Read More »

Mobilizing for Congo on Campus

Posted by Candice Knezevic on Mar 30, 2010

Congo activism is flourishing on campuses this spring, with many schools signing up to host the RAISE Hope for Congo Speakers Tour and college journalists spontaneously picking up the story. Read More »

Somalis in Mogadishu Protest Shabaab Abuses

Posted by Laura Heaton on Mar 30, 2010

Hundreds of Somalis took to the streets of the capital of Mogadishu on Monday, protesting the militant Islamist group Al Shabaab that controls large swaths of the country. Read More »

Report from the Road: Omekongo on Speaking Tour for Congo

Posted by Enough Team on Mar 30, 2010

This past week, as a spokesperson for the RAISE Hope for Congo campaign, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to visit three schools for four performances in five days. Read More »

Left to Hitchhike: The Armed Forces of Southern Sudan

Posted by Maggie Fick on Mar 29, 2010

Professor Chris Blattman had a thought-provoking post on his blog last week. He wrote, "In Liberia, if you need a policeman you must pay him to come to you, since he has no transport." The same phenomenon can be seen here in Juba, the capital of southern Sudan. Read More »

Four More Reps Back Conflict Minerals Bill

Posted by Collin Young on Mar 29, 2010

The conflict minerals bill in the House of Representatives is steadily picking up supporters. Four more congressmen recently signed on as co-sponsors, showing their support for ending violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo that is in part perpetuated by illicit trade in Congo’s mineral rich eastern region. Read More »