Sally Smith's blog

Last weekend, the Enough Project partnered with Voices for Sudan—a local nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. that works to amplify the voices of Sudanese diaspora in the U.S.— to host a media and advocacy skill-building workshop. It was designed to teach practical skills that would empower members of the diaspora to become more prominent voices in the media, on Capitol Hill, online, and in their own communities.  Read More »

Remember Bart Fisher, the D.C. lobbyist for Sudan who made headlines in The Washington Post and Enough Said last week? How could you forget—after all, it is not every day that an American so publicly supports a genocidal dictatorship in exchange for a mound of cash. 

To make a public statement last week, Act for Sudan organized approximately 30 supporters to protest in front of Mr. Fisher’s office in downtown Washington, D.C. Enough staff joined the protest, where we made it known that if you represent the needs of the Sudanese government—a government that continues to bomb, kill, and displace scores of its own innocent civilians—then we will tell your neighbors about it.  Read More »

For many of us working in the anti-genocide field, one of the comforting facts of life is that the other side does not have a pro-genocide lobby. It used to be a joke of sorts, something we would say to each other to make us feel better about work that can feel intractable and slow-moving. After all, who in their right mind would represent a genocidal dictator? Well, now that question has its answer: Bart S. Fisher.  Read More »

This week, following the latest round of military attacks by the Government of Sudan, the Sudan Now campaign announced a new effort aimed at encouraging the U.S. government, the United Nations Security Council, or UNSC, and the international community to take action to protect innocent civilians. The campaign seeks to raise awareness about the current crisis in Sudan and calls for international leaders to take immediate action.  Read More »

An emergency Congressional hearing on the devastation in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan turned lively this morning after an impassioned Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) took the opportunity to to speak candidly about his feelings about the Sudanese government's ruling National Congress Party and its leader, Omar al-Bashir. "This government is fundamentally evil," said Wolf. C-SPAN was there to capture his impassioned condemnation of the Bashir regime for executing endless wars on their own people. Bishop Andudu from Kadugli, the capital of besieged Southern Kordofan, provided moving testimony from the ground, describing house-to-house executions, mass graves, and a severe lack of food and water due to the inability of aid groups to move freely.  Read More »

This peace process is going to take a while, and as activists, we’re going to have to stick it out, stick together, and continue raising heck about it with the Obama administration and other world leaders.

Today, we hope you’ll join Sudan Now by signing our petition to President Obama’s right-hand-foreign-policy-man Denis McDonough, to encourage him to address key issues related to the peace process.  Read More »

As we inch closer to July 9, the date when South Sudan will become the world's newest independent country, the Sudan Now campaign is working hard to remind everyone – from average citizens to world leaders – that our work for peace in Sudan has just begun. We've spread the word through The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, on Facebook and across the internet, and now we're even in... drum roll, please... Times Square!  Read More »

Our partners at i-ACT frequently visit the Darfur refugee camps in neighboring Chad, where they have gotten to know many of the children and families who have seen the worst of the fighting in Sudan and been forced to flee their homes. This is the story of one of the children i-ACT met in a refugee camp: Guisma, a six-year-old girl who dreams of returning to a peaceful Sudan one day. We hope it will inspire you to stay engaged and help your friends and family join our campaign to make Guisma’s dream possible.  Read More »

This past Tuesday night at the Capitol, the Enough Project and their Sudan Now campaign partners hosted a reception to thank members of Congress and their staff for all their hard work leading up to and during last month’s peaceful referendum in South Sudan.  Read More »

At the risk of patting the movement on the back, Sudan activists have had a pretty good month.  Read More »