NEWSSUDAN

Libya. Egypt. Syria. Big names getting big headlines right now - and for good reason. Africa and the Middle East are in the midst of an uprising--a swell of populist support for human rights and democracy. These are equally promising and dangerous times for the entire region, and they all deserve our support as they work so hard to achieve the goals of the people.

Today I ask you to speak out for a place that has fallen out of the headlines in recent years. A place that has been struggling for the last decade to reach some sort of peace from the ongoing campaign of violence against their people.

If you knew your family savings or retirement funds were financing a government’s genocidal campaign, would you keep sending money?

JPMorgan Chase is faced with this question right now.

Next month, JPMorgan Chase’s shareholders will decide whether they want the company to adopt a genocide free investing policy and avoid investing in companies that “substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity, the most egregious violations of human rights.”

So far, the financial services firm has been defensive, filing a “no action” request to the Securities and Exchange Commission in a bid to avoid putting a potential genocide-free policy to a vote. The SEC denied the request.

Five years ago this week, I won an Olympic gold medal in men's speed skating.

I won by the largest margin in that event in more than 20 years. This is the shining line on my resume – both literal and social. Every day for the last five years I am not introduced as just “Joey Cheek," but as “Olympic Gold Medalist Joey Cheek."

However, as much as that moment changed my life, I’ve learned that what we achieve for ourselves rarely provides long-term pride when compared to the things we achieve for others.

Americans love the Olympics… when they are on. The Olympic spotlight is brief, but when that light is upon us, it burns brightly. I knew that if I won the gold, I would have only a few seconds to capture the world’s attention. I had to make it count.

After I won, I announced that I would be donating my winnings to support the people of war torn Darfur and encouraged others to do the same.

The referendum on independence for Southern Sudan has come off with minimal violence, and it seems that Sudan’s president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir will accept the inevitable outcome: Southern secession.

The Obama administration is rightfully pleased with how the referendum has been carried out, but this is not the time to let up. A peaceful resolution to the North-South conflict may be possible, but there are many issues that are not yet resolved, and the situation in Darfur remains unstable and threatening to those living there in camps for displaced persons. We must urge the White House to stay engaged.

As the New Year came upon us, many took part in the time-honored tradition of making resolutions.

There are the standard resolutions to finally lose that weight, quit smoking, or tackle that project you have been putting off for years. Some of us might even resolve to fulfill our resolution we so miserably failed at last year. These are all worthy, if unimaginative, goals to set for ourselves.

But as we make our way into a new decade, I challenge you to make a New Year's resolution in which your own betterment is not the focus... This year, make a resolution for peace.

STAND, a student project of the Genocide Intervention Network, suggests that this year you make a New Year Conflict Resolution. After the referendum on independence for southern Sudan, which will most likely split Africa’s largest country in two, many fear that another civil war is imminent. What can we do to help ensure a peaceful transition in Sudan?

As the frenetic excitement about southern Sudan's recent referendum wears off, the challenges of building up a new country from scratch loom. For some segments of southern Sudan’s society, the obstacles are even greater.

“The women of southern Sudan are ‘the marginalized of the marginalized,’ as Dr. John Garang used to say,” said Anyieth D’Awol, quoting the late rebel leader who saw many of the problems in Sudan originating from the Khartoum government’s negligence. As one stark example, literacy in southern Sudan stands at 24 percent, but only 12 percent of women can read and write.

Anyieth is southern Sudanese, but she first visited the South when she was 27. She studied human rights in the UK and has a law degree, fields she pursued because “I never thought I would stay in England. Always knew I wanted to come back to Sudan.”

“I don’t have a war story,” she said, in a tone that almost sounded like she was apologizing.

The US news media has been completely taken by the tragic shooting in Arizona. But on the other side of the world, arguably the most significant international development in years is unfolding: the potential split up of Sudan.

A referendum on independence for southern Sudan has so far gone surprisingly smoothly... with two exception: Abyei.

Known by many as the “bridge” between the north and the south, the contested city of Abyei sits on the border between the two and stands as a microcosm of the larger conflict in Sudan.

This city is home to the Ngok Dinka, a tribe with a strong southern identity and a history of joining forces with the South during the most recent civil war. Abyei is also the frequent home to and long time grazing grounds for the nomadic Misseriya tribe, which strongly identifies with the North. The two tribes have shared this land for centuries, and battled for years for control of the region. Further complicating matters, both the northern and southern governments are continually maneuvering for the oil-rich city to fall within their borders.

There is a sense of excitement and hope among Darfur advocates today after the Obama Administration announced the appointment of Dane Smith as the Senior U.S. Diplomat for Darfur.

This is a great victory for Darfur activists and the people of Darfur. A Change.org petition calling for a high level diplomat for Darfur and signed by over 100 members was created by Operation Broken Silence as part of a nation-wide campaign of multiple advocacy organizations urging President Obama, Secretary Clinton and Congress to create a better and more comprehensive policy on Sudan and Darfur. The appointment of a high level diplomat for Darfur is an important component of the Sudan Peace and Stability Act of 2010, currently making its way through congress.

STAND also led a call-in campaign last month, with over 1600 calls placed to Secretary Clinton asking for this appointment. Sudan Now, an alliance of Sudan advocacy groups, released a statement expressing their excitement over the appointment and their hope that it will lead to the establishment of a team to work with Dr. Smith to “help focus efforts on revitalizing the Darfur peace process, securing humanitarian access, and introducing accountability for human rights violations.”

Can a music video prevent genocide?

One Sudanese rapper thinks so.

Emmanual Jal, a Sudanese child soldier turned hip hop artist and activist, is pushing a music video espousing the benefits of peace in Sudan. Alicia Keys, George Clooney, Richard Branson, Peter Gabriel, Kofi Annan and Jimmy Carter have all joined in to help. But how, exactly, does a celebrity-filled music video on YouTube do anything to help ensure peace in Sudan? We'll get to that in a minute, but first a bit of background:

Sudan's Civil War was one of the longest wars of the twentieth century. Some two million people were killed, and another four million displaced. All that ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005. Part of the agreement was to allow the south to hold a referendum on independence, coming up in less than a month on January 9.

But the northern-dominated Muslim-led government of President Omar Al Bashir has one heckofa lot to lose with independence for the Christian and animist south, home to 80% of Sudan's oil fields. Numerous governments and heads of international institutions have expressed fear that the government will either not allow the vote to go forward unimpeded, or will launch another civil war should the south vote for succession.

You live in a complex city.

One of the gangs on the other side of town has been systematically killing as many blue eyed residents in their neighborhood as possible. They have also started a gang war against the southern section of the area, leading to countless deaths over the years.

Would you want the local authorities to financially ostracize, arrest and imprison this gang, or to offer them cushy presents in exchange for ending the gang war against the south, while continuing the killings of blue eyed citizens?

Apparently, according to US President Barack Obama and his special envoy to Sudan, Major General (Ret) Scott Gration, there is no need for the former, aggressive shananigans.