Farrow Will Fast for Darfur

Illusionist's starvation tips help Farrow endure fast for Darfur

(NEWSER) - Mia Farrow took advice from a pro before going on a hunger strike for Darfur, the New York Daily News reports. Farrow says illusionist David Blaine—who once spent 44 seemingly food-free days sealed inside a Plexiglass case—told her the hunger pangs would stop six days in, and to drink plenty of water. Farrow is now into her fourth day of fasting and has vowed to make it three weeks. More»

Death of JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim would be key victory

(AP) - The Sudanese army said it killed the leader of the main Darfur rebel group in fighting today and touted his death as a key victory. The army said Khalil Ibrahim, who led the Darfur-based Justice and Equality Movement, or JEM, was killed during a military offensive in North Kordofan state to retaliate for a deadly rebel attack there yesterday. JEM is the most organized and effective military force in Darfur. If Ibrahim's death is confirmed, it would be a serious blow to JEM, which has on several occasions threatened to bring down Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's regime. More»

(NEWSER) - Though Obama advocated a confrontational approach to Sudan on the campaign trail, his administration will announce a somewhat soft policy toward the country on Monday. Ending months of internal wrangling, the policy is designed use to "pressure and incentives" to bend the government to address US concerns over the killings in Darfur and a slow-to-be-implemented peace accord between the north and south, along with fears that Sudan may provide a haven to terrorists. More»

Jolie writes for Time magazine

(NEWSER) - Angelina Jolie argues in a Time essay that it's put-up-or-shut-up time for the UN on Darfur. The Security Council will receive a report today on the nation's genocide under the watch of Omar al Bashir, and its response will determine whether the idea of an "international standard of justice" is real or just talk. "The evidence the prosecutor has presented is clear and compelling," she writes. "Millions of people have been displaced; hundreds of thousands have been killed." More»

Says media claims are part of propaganda campaign

(NEWSER) - Sudan’s president says his military hasn’t attacked civilians in Darfur and challenges “anybody” to show evidence to the contrary. “What has been reported to have happened in Darfur did not actually happen at all,” Omar al Bashir told the BBC in his first interview since being charged with war crimes. “What happened in Darfur was an insurgency. The state has the responsibility to fight the rebels.” More»