On March 16th 2006, the University of California's Board of Regents voted to divest from companies tied to the government of Sudan. On April 30th, the San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition sponsored a silent vigil for Sudan on the Golden Gate Bridge, followed by a rally in Presidio Park.
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Stanford STAND | Bay Area Darfur Coalition | Campus Divestment Campaign Targets Sudan | A strategy for divestment from Sudan

Five members of Congress, including Rep. Tom Lantos (D-San Mateo) were arrested on April 28th for engaging in civil disobedience in front of the Embassy of Sudan in Washington, DC. On March 16th, tens of thousands gathered for a demonstration in D.C. against the ongoing genocide in Sudan. At the last minute, organizers had to scramble to find someone who was either Sudanese or Muslim to speak at the rally when Sudanese immigrants realized that the announced speakers included no Muslims and no one from Darfur The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and other American Muslim groups, including the Islamic Society of North America, the Islamic Circle of North America, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, are members of the coalition. But no representative from these, or any Muslim coalition member, was allowed to speak. There were also very few African Americans who attended the rallies. While everyone aknowledges that attrocities are being comitted, some fear the US is pressing for a war with Sudan for purely economic reasons. Others fear that the right-wing interest in Sudan may be driven by a desire to demonize Arabs and Muslims, even though both the victims and perpetrators of attrocities in Sudan are frequently of the same religion and ethnic background.
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History Of The Conflict:
The conflict in Darfur began in February 2003 when JEM and SLM/SLA rebels attacked government forces and installations, accusing Sudan of oppressing non-Arabs in favor of Arabs. The government's response was aerial bombardment supporting ground attacks by a local tribal militia, the Janjaweed. Most observers believe that the Janjaweed are armed by the government of Sudan, but the government denies this. A long-running political battle between Sudanese President Omar Hassan Bashir and radical Islamic cleric (and former protector of Osama bin Laden) Hassan al-Turabi may have been one of the root causes of the conflict." Al-Turabi and Bashir are political rivals. Al-Turabi, though sequestered in his villa, has actively stimulated anti-government uprisings and is thought to have been one of the major backers of the JEM.
In 2004, Chad brokered negotiations, leading to the April 8 Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement between the Sudanese government and the JEM and SLM. On November 9, 2004, the Sudanese government and the rebels signed two new accords; the first accord established a no-fly zone over rebel-controlled areas and the second granted international humanitarian aid agencies unrestricted access to the Darfur region. Despite the November 9 accords, violence in Sudan continued. In 2005, peace again looked close when on July 10th, SPLA founder John Garang was sworn in as Sudan's vice-president, but less than a month later Garang died in a helicopter crash. (The SPLA was the major rebel group in Sudan demanding democracy and an end to oppression but was not one of the groups fighting the Janjaweed)
On April 30th, 2006, the Sudanese government officially notified the African Union of accepting its proposed Darfur peace deal; part of the deal includes the disarming of the Janjaweed but it's not clear if this new agreement will have any more impact than previous ones and it has already been rejected by the rebels.
Wikipedia History | Pressure grows for Darfur peace | US Steps up Pressure on Khartoum Over Darfur | Main Darfur rebels accept deal | Darfur Peace in Jeopardy Over Rebels Split | Interpreter dies in Darfur camp protest | One-sided reporting that is delaying an end to the killing | Darfur: Inside the Crisis

Genocide And Humanitarian Crisis:
While the conflict has a political basis, and almost everyone on both sides have dark skin and are Muslims, it has also acquired ethnic and economic dimensions. Civilians are deliberately targeted on the basis of their ethnicity and much of the violence is also related to the competition between pastoralists (generally Arabic speaking) and farmers (non-Arabic speaking) for land and water. Both sides have been accused of committing serious human rights violations, including mass killing, looting, and rapes of the civilian population. However, the better-armed Janjaweed clearly have the upper hand. The conflict has been described as "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide." More than 1.8 million people had been displaced from their homes., and a recent British Parliamentary Report ( pdf ) estimates that over 300,000 people have died as a result of the conflict.
On April 28th 2006, it was announced that the UN is cutting in half its daily rations in Sudan's Darfur region due to a severe funding shortfall. More than 6.1 million people across Sudan require food aid - more than any other country in the world.
Experts Discuss the Sudan Crisis | There is hope in Darfur | Clooney urges action as Sudanese aircraft attack villages in Darfur | UN Sounds Alarm Over Malnutrition in Darfur | U.N.: Darfur Needs Strong Protection Force | BBC: Darfur crisis is 'as bad as ever' | Stunning photographs show the horror of genocide in Darfur | Rwandan nightmare is relived in Sudan | Democracy Now: Darfur Refugee and Top UN Envoy Discuss Crisis in Sudan | Sudan Government Pays Close to $1 Million for New York Times Supplement | Bankrupt peacekeeping mission leaves Darfur civilians exposed | Blood, Ink, and Oil: the Case of Darfur | DAFUR: the open sore of a continent

Regional Implications:
Since 2004, Janjaweed militants involved in the Darfur conflict have been attacking villages and towns in eastern Chad. Several rebel groups have emerged in the Chad-Sudan border region; the groups claim to be fighting against the corrupt and totalitarian government of Chad, but Chad claims they are linked to the government of Sudan. On December 18th, 2005, rebels attacked Chadian troops in the town of Adré, near the Sudanese border. Chad responded by declaring a 'state of belligerency' with Sudan. On January 6, 2006, Janjaweed militants crossed the border from Sudan into Chad and attacked the cities of Borota, Ade, and Moudaina.
On April 13th, 2006, rebels fought there way into N'Djamena, the capital of Chad. Accusing Sudan of backing a failed rebel assault on his capital, Chad's President Idriss Déby broke diplomatic ties with Khartoum, and warned the international community that 200,000 Darfur refugees would soon have to leave the country. UN Special Representative to Sudan, Jan Pronk issued a warning stating that Chad should "abide by its international obligations to secure the full protection and well-being of all refugees on its territories... Forcing refugees, who are the victims of previous conflicts, to flee again in the course of the current conflict, which is not of their making, would result in great additional suffering for them". Chad appears to have backed down from its initial threat, but the situation in Chad is still unstable.
Wikipedia: Chadian-Sudanese conflict | Chaos and killing spread to Sudan's neighbours | Chad threatens to halt oil export | Darfur: New Attacks in Chad Documented | Wikipedia: Battle of N'Djamena | Egypt massacres Sudanese demonstrators in Cairo

SaveDarfur.org | Wikipedia: Darfur conflict | Operation Sudan | The Crisis in Darfur | Darfur Information Center | CBC: Crisis Zone: Darfur, Sudan