Full Coverage: North Africa

30.07.2004 The UN Security Council will vote on the final draft of the U.S. resolution on Sudan this week. The resolution does not mention sanctions but threatens economic measures against Sudan if its government fails to disarm the Janjaweed militia.

29.07.2004

© ENS

The results of a recent poll conducted by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) showed that most Americans support sending U.S. troops to protect civilian population in Darfur provided other nations contribute 75 per cent of the forces necessary.

27.07.2004 Amid continuing reports of attacks by Arab militias against black Africans in the western province of Darfur in Sudan, the United States and its main allies in Europe are urgently pressing the UN Security Council to impose sanctions against militia leaders and their government supporters.

26.07.2004 Like other Arabs, Libyans are not very receptive to U.S. foreign policy “because of the bias toward Israel” but they are very positive about Americans, says Carah Ong, Communications Director for the California-based Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Even though they do not like America’s global dominance, Libyans are willing to make concessions and work with the U.S. because they believe America will not dominate the world forever and, also because they believe American citizens are victims of the American empire.

26.07.2004

Bandiera della Lega Araba

Anti-American sentiment - based primarily on U.S. policies, rather than on its values - has risen to new heights in the Arab world, according to two new surveys conducted in May in six countries, all of whose governments have been closely allied with Washington for the past several decades.

23.07.2004 The international community geared up efforts to avert the looming catastrophe in western Sudan this week. While the UN announced plans to send a security assessment mission to Khartoum, and the UK revealed plans for possible military intervention in Darfur, Washington put finishing touches to the Security Council resolution on Sudan.

19.07.2004 The Sudanese government is directly responsible for crimes against humanity in its strife-torn western region of Darfur, including the widespread rape of women, rights group Amnesty International has charged. Refugees from Darfur have described a pattern of "systematic and unlawful attacks" against civilians by both a government-sponsored Arab militia and the Sudanese military forces.

19.07.2004 Girls as young as eight are among the victims of mass rape in Darfur, western Sudan, said Amnesty International on 19 July, as it published a new report on the impact on women and girls of "Janjawid" militia raids in Darfur.

09.07.2004 Email Tony Blair and demand that he personally takes the lead to end the crisis in Darfur, Sudan, the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

08.07.2004 La situation extrêmement grave de non-respect des droits humains au Darfour (Soudan) interpelle vivement Droits et Démocratie. Entre 10 000 et 30 000 personnes sont déjà mortes des suites d'exactions; entre 125 000 et 200 000 personnes se sont réfugiées au Tchad et 1.2 million ont été déplacées au Soudan-même (1). La violence qui règne au Darfour entraîne également une situation d'urgence humanitaire, faute de vivres, d'abris et de soins suffisants, mettant en péril la vie de centaines de milliers d'êtres humains. Un grand nombre de besoins des ces populations ne sont pas encore satisfaits, surtout en ce qui concerne l'eau potable, le logement, l'assainissement et les vaccins.

07.07.2004 Tunisia, the North African country chosen by the Bush administration as the base for its initiative to encourage Arab governments to adopt political reform, is holding more than 500 political prisoners, including as many as 40 who have been held in isolation for up to 13 years in violation of its own national law, as well as international penal standards.

07.07.2004 At a press conference this week, a UN spokeswoman said armed men have continued to attack “clearly marked convoys of humanitarian workers” in western Darfur and refugees are still arriving in camps in southern Darfur. The Sudanese government had agreed to disarm militias and remove all obstacles to relief efforts in Darfur last week.

06.07.2004 While commending the U.S.-sponsored resolution to compel the Sudanese government to cease attacks in Darfur, Amnesty International is urging the UN Security Council not only to impose an arms embargo against the militia but also against the Khartoum government who funds and supports it.

05.07.2004 Following on the Khartoum government’s promise last week to curtail raids by the Janjaweed militia in western Sudan, the U.S. is drafting a Security Council resolution to compel Sudan to ensure peace in Darfur.

01.07.2004 In the wake of an unprecedented visit to Khartoum by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Sudan's foreign minister Wednesday promised that his government will halt raiding by government-backed Arab militias in the country's Darfur region, but independent groups say the international community should not delay any further before taking measures to punish the regime and prepare a military intervention.