(Sept. 13, 2010) KHARTOUM, Sudan – A referendum on whether oil-rich southern Sudan breaks away to become Africa’s newest nation is scheduled to take place in less than four months. But with negotiations between north and south stalled over border demarcation, and preparations for the vote lagging perilously behind, the likelihood of the referendum proceeding […]

(Aug. 14, 2010) KHARTOUM, SUDAN — Like any aspiring pro-democracy movement, the young Sudanese activists needed a name. They picked Girifna, Arabic for “we are fed up.” They chose orange for their color and the V for victory sign as a logo, then began distributing their first pamphlet. Read rest of the article as it […]

(Aug. 12, 2010) Khartoum, Sudan – General Mahdi Babo Nimir, a wiry 78 year-old, straightened up the framed, photocopied photo of his father on his lounge room wall. Opposite his father’s photograph hangs a portrait of his grandfather, in full riding regalia, complete with plumed helmet, painted in the era of the British rule of […]

(July 21, 2010) Khartoum, Sudan Buoyed by a win in the disputed Sudan election in April, President Omar Al Bashir continues to thumb his nose to critics at home and abroad, jailing journalists and challenging an arrest warrant for war crimes and genocide. Read rest of the article as it appeared . . .

(July 13, 2010 – Colum Lynch & Rebecca Hamilton) The International Criminal Court’s judges on Monday charged Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir with orchestrating a bloody campaign of genocide against Darfur’s three main ethnic groups, the first time the Hague-based court has accused a sitting head of state of committing the most egregious international crime. […]

(Sept. 8, 2009) Lubna Hussein’s trial for the “crime” of wearing trousers went ahead in Khartoum yesterday morning. It was her third official court appearance — on previous occasions the court delayed its decision in the hope that the international media attention on Lubna, the “Sudan trouser lady,” would fade. The court’s verdict was eminently […]

(Oct. 14, 2009) NYALA, Darfur — When Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March, he responded by expelling 13 international aid agencies from Darfur and disbanding three other domestic relief groups. Khartoum claims the organizations were sharing information with the ICC, which both the […]

But can the unity survive January’s secession referendum? By Rebecca Hamilton (Oct. 20, 2010) JUBA, Sudan—Spontaneous outbursts of singing, dancing, clapping, and cheering lasted through the night at the Nyakuron Cultural Centre in Southern Sudan’s capital, Juba, on Sunday. The celebration came at the conclusion of a conference initiated by Salva Kiir, the president of […]