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.