Sudan:

South Sudan this week made additional concessions in its negotiations with Khartoum, hoping to reach agreement on issues ahead of an August 2 deadline set by the AU and UN. The deal could restart the oil industry in South Sudan, providing much-needed funds to both countries. This is despite the latest accusations of Khartoum bombing South Sudan territory. For its part, Khartoum has said it will not negotiate further on these issues until the two countries reach a deal on border security. Meanwhile, renewed clashes between rebel forces and Khartoum have been reported in Darfur and South Kordofan.

On July 30, 2012, US Congressional Sudan Caucus members will hold a hearing on the crisis in the Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan in Sudan. With hundreds of thousands of lives now hanging by a thread after a full year of no humanitarian aid delivery, this may be our last major opportunity to advocate for a large-scale aid operation that could halt the spreading catastrophe. Find out how to ask your Representative to attend this important hearing here.

Additional Resources:

• South Sudan: One Year Later (NPR – great background on the current conflict in South Kordofan, with associated New Yorker piece here for subscribers)
• Unpacking Sudan’s Power Dynamics (Al Jazeera)
• US Resident Caught Up in Sudan’s Protest Movement (NPR)

Congo:

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) now estimates that more than 250,000 people have been displaced by fighting associated with the M23 rebellion in North Kivu. In response to mounting evidence that elements within Rwanda’s military and government have been supporting the rebellion (charges that Rwanda vehemently denies), the US State Department this week cut a symbolic amount of military funding to Rwanda. While the funding cut is small – only $200,000 – the move is a huge political step for the US in what has been a traditionally accommodating relationship with Rwanda since the 1994 genocide there. See JWW’s action on this development.

Additional Resources:

• Uneasy Calm in Congo’s Rebel-Held Territories (BBC)
• Congo Rangers Search for Missing Mountain Gorillas (Associated Press)

Extra Credit:
The US Holocaust Memorial Museum today sponsored a symposium, Imagine the Unimaginable: Ending Genocide in the 21^st Century, featuring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as the keynote speaker. The event featured new research commissioned by the museum showing that the vast majority of Americans support bold action to prevent or stop genocide.