SOUTHERN REBEL LEADER NOW SUDAN VP IN UNITY GOVERNMENT
10 July 2005

Sudan swore in southern former rebel chief John Garang as the first vice president of its new unity government, on Saturday. Garang's taking office is a major step toward a civil process in the wake of a brutal civil war that lasted over two decades and left more than two million dead, but the country is still roiled by violence in Darfur in the west and now by conflict with rebel groups in the east.

US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick said the event was a major step forward, but that this symbol of the resolution of the north-south civil war was not enough to end sanctions imposed by the US in 1997. Zoellick cited the strong opinion of the American public regarding the ongoing genocide in Darfur, where government-backed militia have been murdering men, women and children in an apparent effort to rid Darfur of its indigenous non-Arab population.

There is a tentative ceasefire in Darfur, but aid groups have said the janjawiid militia are still carrying out raids and killing non-Arab Darfurians. The International Criminal Court in the Hague is investigating war crimes charges, but has not officially ruled that militia activities constitute genocide.

Zoellick said the formation of a coalition government by Garang and President Omar Hassan al-Bashir would help normalize relations with the US, but cited rough treatment of NGOs in Darfur and the closing of newspapers as signs Khartoum was not ready to be a partner in diplomatic relations. [s]

REPORTS FROM HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH:

Darfur crisis: Regular updates, headlines, reports
African Union troops needed to quell ongoing violence
UN report details crimes in Darfur
Africa: Regular updates, headlines, reports

15 November 2004 :: BBC publishes evidence that mass killings are still going on in Darfur, committed by government-backed militia; estimated 70,000 civilians have been slaughtered to date... 16 June 2004 :: Darfur refugee tells BBC government-backed militia plan to exterminate all black Darfurians... For more: CAREUSA.org To help aid organizations: BBC

BACKGROUND:
DARFUR REFUGEE CRISIS STILL STEEP, UNRESOLVED
5 July 2005

First reported by Sentido on 14 May 2004 as part of our Daily Intercept, the ethnic cleansing campaign in Darfur, western Sudan, continues to this day, and new information is coming to light about the plight of refugees to the Chad border. Journalist Sorious Samura's documentary Surviving Sudan, presented on the Discovery/[NY]Times Channel, follows Samura's travels with a refugee family fleeing wartorn Darfur, heading for UN-sanctioned camps in eastern Chad. [Full Story]

DARFUR CRISIS IMPERILS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
4 June 2004

The refugee crisis in Darfur, in western Sudan, is deepening, with more Sudanese seeking refuge in the dangerous neighboring country of Chad. The UN has designated the Darfur crisis the world's worst humanitarian disaster at present. Earlier this week, the UN hosted a major donor conference in Geneva, and the US has since pledged an additional $188 million, in order to address the growing unrest and escalating risk of mass starvation among the refugee communities. [Full Story]