Monthly Archives: April 2009
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Sudan/Chad: Planning Refugee Camps
The border region between Chad and Sudan is formed by an inhospitable climate and breathtakingly beautiful nature. It is an area marked by a colonial boundary ... -
HRW’s Myths and Realities
Human Rights Watch recently posted seven “˜myths’ (arguments) about the ICC indictment, each followed by a confidently-named “˜reality’ (response). Much of what they say is commendable, ... -
Elections in a Dangerous Place
The cover of Paul Collier’s new book, Wars, Guns, and Votes: Democracy in Dangerous Places (Harper Collins, 2009) is graced by a picture of Darfurian rebels. ... -
Southerners Sudanese’s Likely Referendum Choice
“Is there anybody who will vote for unity?” That incredulous question, posed by a Southern Sudanese participant in a public opinion study in late 2005, reflects ... -
Challenges for a Free Sudanese Election
The National Election Commission (NEC) has officially announced the time frame for Sudan’s general elections, with a seven months’ delay in respect to the timetable of ... -
The 2010 Sudanese Elections: Landmines on the Road to Democratic Transition
This essay deals with possibilities of a mismanaged democratic transformation in Sudan. This is conditioned by a ruling party, resistant to change and weak opposition political ... -
Ethnic Identity in Darfur
There has been a flood on the Web of confusing and confused discussions about the “Arab”/”African” divide in Darfur recently. Perhaps a little historical background will ... -
The Afar and Darfur: A Nomadic Comparison
The situation in the Afar land of Northeastern Ethiopia is reminiscent of early Darfur: desperately impoverished nomadic communities pushed to the limit. With one important distinction: ... -
South Sudan: “For Us Here There Is No Government”
Speaking in a focus group discussion reported by the National Democratic Institute’s study of the “three areas” of South Kordofan, Abyei and Blue Nile, a Nuba ... -
Is Africa Immune to the Financial Crisis?
Might the economies of sub-Saharan Africa have special defenses against the global capitalist crisis in the relatively small role that credit and “leverage” play in consumer ...