Ann Curry, Terrorism, Sudan, and the US government

I found this MSNBC story to be very interesting. Clearly I like Ann Curry and the involved work she has done and is doing with the Darfur crisis. This is a behind-the scenes type interview in which she talks with Sudan president Omar al-Bashir and Andrew Nastios, U.S. special envoy to Sudan. Throughout the video she is in Khartoum, which is 500 miles from Darfur.

There is also a video on this page, which is basically the same as the article only a much more entertaining, presentation with some great photos. It’s also easier to understand. There is a short introduction in which we also learn that this is the fist interview the president of Sudan has done in years.



The article is a little foggy. However, what I get from it is that the US government is working with the Sudan government to get information about al-Queda members who are traveling to the Middle East from Sudan. I really liked how Curry approached the topic with the relation to what the US is doing with terrorism vs. what the US is doing in Sudan. Though it’s not put out there as strongly as I would have wanted.

The following is the short Q and A with Nastois.

“Curry: So they are providing information on al-Qaida to us?

Nastios: Yes.

Curry: And are we working with them?

Nastios: Yes.

Curry: Is that driving American policy in Sudan?

Nastios: Absolutely not.”


I think she’s making a good point with this, or attempting to anyway. I think she should give more detail to what exactly she means. Maybe it’s just because I don’t understand the article in depth enough, I don’t know.
Tensioons between the US and the Sudaneese government are still there. Which has been something the two governments haven’t been able to, quite literally, do anything about.

“But despite our intelligence relationship, U.S. officials tell NBC News that diplomatic efforts with President al-Bashir to end the Darfur crisis are not working. The United States is now planning stepped-up economic sanctions against Sudan.”

This paragraph seemed so vague to me and made me a little upset. What action are we exactly taking? And by planning do they mean they are getting around to it to take action some time next year? I think more answers from the US government are in order.

I will be discussing the two other story links in this blog throughout the week.

STAND podcast

As part of one of our journalism assignments, we had to record a podcast. I did my podcast as though it were a normal blog post, only me reading it. This was the first time I have recorded anything since my sister and I recorded a radio show on cassette of our favorite songs in the mid-nineties, so bare with my voice.

Anyway, I briefly discussed the STAND organization.

To here my podcast click HERE! : )

Christian Children's Fund

The Christian Children’s Fund is another one of Ann Curry’s suggested links. I found this site to be the least involved with Darfur. Infact, they do not specifically work in the Darfur region. But they do wok in Chad, the neighboring country that I have discussed.



The following is a description of what is CCF is doing in Chad:
“A CCF emergency response team, consisting of specialists in emergency response and child protection, traveled to Chad on August 1, 2004, to assess refugee needs in regards to quality of basic services, psychological well-being, protection concerns and desired support. The team addressed education, shelter and psychosocial issues in the four Chadian refugee camps (Iridimi, Toullum, Mille and Kounoungo) located along the Chad-Sudan border.
In response, 16 out of a total of 30 planned Child Centered Spaces have already been opened. These spaces provide a safe and stimulating environment with structured recreational and learning activities to approximately 1,600 children each day. CCF staff members have also mobilized 40 youth clubs for boys and girls in the four camps. Each club has up to 60 youth members who are encouraged to hold sports and cultural activities.”


There is also a brief history of what’s going on Chad. This information page also discusses that they are involved with UNICEF.



They are a fund that works with the children by stopping the poverty and the harsh conditions the face. The biggest opportunity to help in alignment with the CCF is the ability to sponsor a child from one of the regions they work in. Pictured below is the first step in the three-step process. You are also able to make general donations to the fund.

I also found an interesting link within the page for journalists. This sections, as stated, does the following:

“The team offers assistance to journalists researching current story ideas or breaking news affecting developing countries worldwide. We provide background information, photos and set up interviews with experts and specialists from the U.S. and developing countries. The team also provides resources needed for inquiries related to ongoing emergencies, natural disasters or current CCF national and international program development issues.”

Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is the next organization on Ann Curry’s links. This is the description in the “about” link of what Mercy Corps does:

“Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against nearly impossible odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1 billion in assistance to people in 94 nations. Supported by headquarters offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, the agency's unified global programs employ 3,200 staff worldwide and reach nearly 13.5 million people in more than 40 countries.”

Seeing as Darfur over-qualifies for a disaster, a conflict, and consists of a majority of suffering persons, Mercy Corps is contributing to this crisis. The Darfur crisis has it’s own series (pictured below), based out of the Sudan section. This is an overview. Included there is a ”photo essay” that depicts life in Darfur in a very powerful way.



The following is a brief less detailed description of what Mercy Corps is doing in Darfur:

“Mercy Corps has been providing lifesaving humanitarian assistance - and protection - to displaced families for more than two years. We currently have nearly 200 veteran aid workers in Darfur, where they continue to help people meet their most basic needs. The agency's focus includes improved sanitation systems, clean water, distribution of relief items and building safe spaces where children can learn and play…
… One of the agency's responses has been to reduce the amount of firewood that women must collect to heat water and cook food. Mercy Corps is continuing to teach determined women how to construct and use fuel-efficient stoves that require about half the wood as a campfire would. This limits the amount of time women have to spend collecting wood outside the camp boundaries, where they are more vulnerable.”

The second part of these contributions was the most heart warming to me. As I continually am running into horror stories of women being raped, most frequently they are out collecting firewood when it happens. This seems like such an effective yet simple way of eliminating these horror stories from happening so frequently.



When clicking on “Sudan,” one of the many countries Mercy Corps is assisting in, you get an overview (pictured above) of the help being given there. I found this to be slightly similar to the site yesterday, but still each program has different focuses and concentrations. There are stories from the region not only focused on Darfur that are inspiring and heartbreaking. I especially liked this one about sports. It discusses a program established in southern Sudan that educates the youth about AIDS. The program is called Sports, Youth and Life. The article discusses Nike’s involvement in the program and also how you can help buy purchasing a “soccer kit” that benefits the program and the enrolled.

Like yesterday’s site, they also have a sanctioned out way of viewers to donate among many other links. The site also has links to stories, publications and a year in pictures section. In which some of the most devastating sights from the countries they are assisting are captured. The picture below is from Darfur.

Africare

I am finally going to start discussing Ann Curry’s links. I am going to give a brief over view as to what each other sites provide. Today’s website is Africare.

Africare does not specifically concentrate on Darfur; they are an organization that has been helping the general devastations to the African continent. They focus their attentions on strengthening and helping to maintain the supply of food, security, agriculture, and health, specifically HIV and AIDS.

Some pretty impressive statistics from the website follow:

“Africare now reaches families and communities in 25 countries in every major region of Sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to South Africa and from Chad to Mozambique.
Since its founding in 1970, Africare has delivered more than $590 million in assistance — over 2,000 projects — to 36 countries Africa-wide.”

Africare also has a special section and project dedicated to AIDS/HIV. This section gives an overview of what Africare is doing and in what areas. There is a map with highlighted countries that Africare has established projects fighting AIDS/HIV. There are also other links specifically within this section, including links to articles, success stories and history of the project.

The website also allows you to help donate. Not only that, but there are links to specific projects that you can help donate too. I really like this aspect of how they broke it down. The links, located with information about each program, read as follows:

“We invite you to explore the opportunities to help Africare meet the complex needs of the emerging nations of Africa. Here's how you can —
Combat AIDS
Reach out to Africa's children
Offer help where it is needed most
Join Africare as a Life Member
Become a Corporate Partner of Africare
Make a planned gift that will help for years to come
Attend the annual Africare Bishop Walker Dinner in Washington, D.C.”

Throughout the website there are also articles that discuss the progress that is being made.

This section gives statistical information about Sudan and the work being done by Africare there. This feature is available for all the countries Africare is doing work in.

Religious Aspect

I want to discuss some of the religious aspects that are involved in the Darfur crisis. I am pointing out this article from the Washington Post because it explains this very well. The article, entitled "5 truths about Darfur." It's very informative and clears up some of the confusion and speculations about the crisis.

The first truth is "nearly everyone is Muslim." (For more information about the Islam religion, visit this wikipedia site)

An excerpt from the Washington Post article follows:
"Darfur is home to some of Sudan's most devout Muslims, in a country where 65 percent of the population practices Islam, the official state religion.
A long-running but recently pacified war between Sudan's north and south did have religious undertones, with the Islamic Arab-dominated government fighting southern Christian and animist African rebels over political power, oil and, in part, religion.

"But it's totally different in Darfur," said Mathina Mydin, a Malaysian nurse who worked in a clinic on the outskirts of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. "As a Muslim myself, I wanted to bring the sides together under Islam. But I quickly realized this war had nothing to do with religion.""

Emily Wax, the reporter, also discusses her travels and seeing destroyed mosques. This last quote surprised me. I thought religion was an aspect of the war, but as Mathina Mydin says, it has nothing to do with it. This makes it even harder for me to understand the reasons for these atrocities to continue.

France

I am finally bringing attention to this article my aunt sent me a month ago now! This is a Boston Globe article that discusses a recent settlement between African nations in France about the crisis in Darfur.

This article was a little confusing for me. Sadly, I don’t understand politics all that way. For example, I had no idea that Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic were accusing each other for supporting rebels.

I am glad they had a meeting to make an end to this violence, but it seems a little sketchy and unrealistic, especially since now there hasn’t been much more news on it. Then again, there never is that much news on Darfur.

I did not like this sentence,

“France and other powers fear the Darfur violence is spilling over and could engulf the entire region.” I thought it was an ignorant statement because this is already started to happen.

However, I did like this statement by United Nations in New York, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,

“’I am very much disappointed by the decision of the Sudanese government,’ Ban said. ‘I urge again that the Sudanese government fully cooperates with the unanimous decision of the Human Rights Council’ to send a fact-finding team to Darfur.”

I agree with this statement, but I think action should be taken to enact it.