Sudan on Capitol Hill

Sudan is a key topic of conversation in four important congressional hearings this week. Sudan Special Envoy Major General Scott Gration is scheduled to testify tomorrow morning at 10 am before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Earlier today U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice testifed before the House Foreign Affairs Committee at a hearing on U.N. peacekeeping, where she emphasized the need for tough US diplomacy:

[...] The U.S. can afford no illusions. Some of the actors involved have long histories of lofty pledges and paltry results. We will not take merely the word of those who have committed genocide and crimes against humanity. We will insist on verifiable, significant and lasting action before we offer meaningful rewards.

Enough's Co-founder John Prendergast also testifies today, and Executive Director John Norris will appear tomorrow before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission at 1pm. Both representatives from Enough argue for stonger Obama administration leadership on Sudan. In his prepared remarks, Prendergast noted:

Sustained pressure leveraged by meaningful and focused sticks is the principal tool that has moved the NCP to change its behavior during the twenty years of its authoritarian rule. This substantial track record of empirical evidence of the value of pressure makes the direction of U.S. diplomacy all the more questionable.

Learn more about the issues raised in this week's hearings on our blog, Enough Said, and by dialing in to our activists' call on Friday (details under Activities below). [Photo credits: United Nations and the State Department]

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Chad's Domestic Crisis: The Achilles Heel for Peace in Darfur

While the international community remains seized with the crisis in Sudan, the inadequacies of conflict resolution efforts in Chad, host to 250,000 Darfuri refugees, continues to negatively impact peacekeeping efforts, according to Enough's latest strategy paper on the ongoing proxy conflict between Sudan and Chad. The paper calls for the international community to adopt a regional approach to address the internal crises in both countries.

Click here to read the paper and here to listen to a Voice of America interview with Enough advisor Omer Ismail. [Photo credit: AP]

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Abyei: Sudan's Next Test

The reactions to the decision by the Abyei Arbitration Tribunal, which issued its ruling about the disputed boundary of the oil-rich Abyei region along the North-South border in Sudan on July 22, will serve as an important barometer for the prospects of peace in the country, noted Enough's report anticipating the decision. Click here to read the report.

Enough's strategy paper on Abyei and post-decision analysis were carried in media around the world, including the New York Times, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, and Voice of America. [Photo credit: AP]

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