Sudan: Getting Away With It

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March 18, 2007: Egypt opposes sanctions against Sudan. Egypt has been a careful ally of Sudan. Egypt tries to balance its relationships with western Europe and the US with the fact that Sudan is "just up the Nile." Egypt has provided political support when the Sudan government felt pressed. On March 15 the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) issued a statement supporting Sudan. The Sudan government feels particularly pressured. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is once again lobbying the UN Security Council for authority to deploy into Darfur a "heavy package" of UN support personnel. The "heavy package" would include engineers and equipment to help the AU-led peacekeeping force. Sudan is basically stonewalling the world, while it continues to chase its unwanted black farmers out of Darfur. It's not only ethnic cleansing on a colossal scale, but it being done in full view of the world, a world that is unable to do anything about it. The Arab world backs Sudan (Arab Sudanese benefit from the removal of millions of non-Arab Sudanese from Darfur), as does China and Russia (both have major economic ties to Sudan).

March 17, 2007: The Sudan government accused the British government of lying. Britain called for tougher sanctions on Sudan because of genocide in Darfur. Sudan said that "Britain lied" before the invasion of Iraq. The Sudan statement also said that there was "neither terrorism nor terrorists in Darfur." Britain, several EU nations, the US, and the UN are pressing for the creation and deployment of a large UN peacekeeping force to stop the fighting in Darfur. Earlier in the week, Britain had said that the world risks a "repetition" of the Rwanda genocide in Darfur.

March 15, 2007: The South Sudan government said that southern Sudan would not secede from the rest of Sudan at the end of the "five year interim period." The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) has a five year-long period for implementing the peace deal and building trust. At the end of the period a referendum will be held. The main southern rebel organization, the SPLA/M (Sudan Peoples Liberation Army/Movement) supports Sudanese national unity.

March 14, 2007: An American judge ruled that the Sudan government can be held financially responsible for the deaths of US sailors in the USS Cole terror bombing. The Cole was attacked in Aden in 2000. The families of 17 sailors filed a civil suit against Sudan and produced experts who said that the Sudan government had "induced" the bombing because of its prior support of terrorism. One of the experts was former CIA director James Woolsey. The experts said that Sudan had helped Al Qaeda during the 1990s.

 

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