Keep the Promise: Sudan Now
The Enough Project, together with Humanity United, Stop Genocide Now, and Investors Against Genocide, launched Keep the Promise: Sudan Now, a public advocacy campaign calling on President Barack Obama and his top officials, including Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to live up to their previous statements and campaign promises to take strong, immediate action on the crisis in Sudan.
The campaign members, along with the Genocide Intervention Network, sent President Obama an open letter, Avoiding Total War in Sudan: The Urgent Need for a Different U.S. Strategy, laying out a roadmap to end the crisis in Sudan, emphasizing the need for full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between North and South Sudan, as well as an effective peace process in Darfur - and detailing sanctions and other measures should the government not cooperate in the peace processes.
Sudan Now also ran four advertisements, including the one above, in major newspapers and online outlets throughout the week of August 24 calling on members of the administration to fulfill the promises they have made in the past on Sudan.
The Sudan Now campaign was cited in several prominent news media stories. Read a collection of press coverage here.
The urgent need for a stronger policy toward Sudan was also highlighted in several recent op-eds by Enough's leaders appearing on CNN.com, ForeignPolicy.com, and the Huffington Post.
Watch a roundtable discussion featuring (at right) John Prendergast, along with Enough advisor Omer Ismail and Voices for Sudan director Jimmy Mulla, regarding the troubling state of affairs in Sudan.
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Winner of Come Clean 4 Congo Video Contest
Matthew Smith of Bend, Oregon, has won the Come Clean 4 Congo video contest created by Enough's RAISE Hope for Congo campaign. The contest, launched in May with YouTube, empowered individuals to create compelling videos that highlight the link between "conflict minerals" used in cell phones and the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - the deadliest since World War II. Enough has called on electronic companies to pledge that they will certify their products are "conflict free" and subject their supply chains to transparent audits. Watch Smith's video here.
In addition to having his video, "Life Should Be Free," featured on Enough's RAISE Hope for Congo website and YouTube page, Smith will attend the Hollywood Film Festival in Los Angeles on October 24, where the video will be screened at a human rights symposium at the ArcLight Hollywood Cinemas. Actress Sonya Walger from ABC's "Lost," and Steve Grove, Head of News and Politics at YouTube, will present an award to Smith at the symposium, which will feature a panel of expert speakers to address the issue of violence against women in Congo.
Tracy McGrady's Three Points Documentary Released on Hulu
 Three Points, a film about Tracy McGrady's 2007 trip to Darfuri refugee camps in Chad - inspiring the creation of the Darfur Dream Team Sister Schools Program - achieved #1 status in the documentary category on Hulu, the free online video site. The film's title refers to the three components necessary for the refugees to return home: peace, protection, and punishment for the perpetrators of violence in Darfur. The film has inspired more than 20 schools to sign up to participate in the Sister Schools Program, which supports and equips Darfuri refugee schools. Watch the film here and visit www.darfurdreamteam.org to find out how to get involved. [Photo Credit: Josh Rothstein]
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Activities, Actions, Advocacy
- Join the conversation and let President Obama know you want to see strong action in Sudan now. Sign the statement at www.sudanactionnow.com
- Add your photo to the Save Darfur Coalition's "Don't Forget Darfur" photo petition. The photos will create a mosaic that spells out Don't Foget Darfur, which will be delivered along with petition signatures before the U.N. General Assembly. For instructions and more information, click here.
- The 2010 application for Genocide Intervention Network's Carl Wilkens Fellowship is now available online here. The fellowship is a selective, 12-month program that provides a diverse set of emerging citizen leaders with the tools and training to build sustained political will to end genocide. The goal is to develop effective leaders in communities across the U.S. who have acquired the skills and fostered the relationships necessary to influence and shape U.S. policies on genocide.
- Follow us on Twitter! Keep up to date by following 'Enoughproject.'
Upcoming Events
- Saturday, September 19, Morrison, CO, and Portland, OR
"Run For Congo Women" to raise awareness of the use of rape as a weapon of war in Congo
- Monday, September 21, United Nations General Assembly opens; President Obama is scheduled to make the opening address
- Thursday, September 24, Asheville, NC
The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo, film screening
- Wednesday, October 7, Washington, DC
War Child, film screening, Capitol Visitors Center
- Saturday though Tuesday, November 7 through 10, Washington, DC
Genocide Intervention Network Annual Conference, "Pledge to Protect"
- Sunday, November 15
Invisible Childen, national call-in and petition drive against the rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army
(Click here for details on the Enough Project's events page.)
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Multimedia from Enough
Watch Enough Co-founder John Prendergast discuss what the Obama administration must do on Sudan at the Center for American Progress.
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Watch John Prendergast discuss his concerns about South Sudan and Darfur on CNN's Inside Africa.
From Our Blog,
Enough Said
Colin Thomas-Jensen discusses controversial remarks from the EU's foreign policy chief:
The notion that a unified Sudan would somehow be more stable is clearly absurd; forced unity is a recipe for a new civil a war. The notion that southerners are unfit to govern themselves is equally bizarre, as it seems to assume that the way Khartoum governs now is somehow acceptable. Two and a half million dead and millions more displaced, incubation of Osama bin Laden's commercial network, the reintroduction of slavery, and the use of starvation as a weapon of war: this is the legacy of the National Congress Party.
Rebecca Brocato addresses the spillover effects of Somalia's chaos in northern Kenya:
Addressing violence and lawlessness in border areas as well as piracy along the East African coast will not be effective without a political process in Somalia. A fundamental shift in the status quo is necessary to stop the violence, allow the estimated 1.4 millions displaced Somalis return home, and pull the country out of its current anarchic state.
Quotes of the Week
There has never been a more critical time in Sudan's history, nor a more acute opportunity for the U.S. to lead a bolder path forward, than right now. The advocacy community can help keep pressure on President Obama to ensure that he and his administration officials are pursuing the best possible path to peace--one that is comprehensive in approach, long-term in vantage point, and one that is mindful of the lessons of history and does not repeat the errors of past efforts which have tried to help create peace for the people of Sudan.
-Randy Newcomb, President and CEO of Humanity United, quoted in the Huffington Post.
The Security Council has repeatedly established peacekeeping missions it knew full well would fail. Just take the current force in Darfur, which is understaffed, underequipped, and lacks capable military leadership. If the United States and its European allies really want hard peacekeeping missions to succeed, they need not only a better mandate and equipment but the involvement of U.S. or European forces in more than an advisory role.
-Executive Director John Norris, in an article on ForeignPolicy.com discussing Susan Rice's August 12 speech.
Enough in the News
"U.N. General's Darfur War Comment Worries Anti-Genocide Groups"
- Bloomberg article quoting John Norris
"As Darfur Fighting Diminishes, U.N. Officials Focus on the South of Sudan"
- New York Times article quoting John Prendergast
"The Violence Behind Congo's Mineral Trade"
- Interview with Colin Thomas-Jensen on PRI's The World
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Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on the crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, northern Uganda, Somalia and Zimbabwe. Enough's strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a "3P" crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. To learn more about Enough and what you can do to help, go to www.enoughproject.org.
© Copyright 2009 Center for American Progress, All Rights Reserved.
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