12,000 Flee Darfur After Airstrikes

Up to 12,000 refugees fled Sudan's Darfur region to neighboring Chad over the weekend following air strikes by the Sudanese military and thousands more may be coming, according to the U.N. refugee agency. The agency was bringing emergency assistance to the Chad border where the Darfur refugees were giving detailed descriptions of air attacks Friday on three West Darfur towns. The refugees are destitute and terrified and told of their villages being looted and burned and encircled by militia. Most of the new refugees in Chad are men and they told the U.N. that thousands of women and children are on their way. The U.N. says the worsening situation in Darfur has been exacerbated by a recent rebel attack on the capital of neighboring Chad. Chad has accused Sudan's President Omar-al-Bashir of backing those rebels in a bid to prevent deployment of a European peacekeeping force in the Chad-Sudan border region where some 400,000 refugees are living.

George Clooney Speaks of Darfur Horrors

Actor George Clooney has spoken of the horrors he witnessed when he visited the Sudanese region of Darfur, saying the area urgently needs peacekeepers. The Hollywood star told the BBC that the levels of murder and rape convinced him ethnic cleansing was occurring. At least 200,000 people have died in the region and some 2.5 million are homeless after three years of fighting.This has led to the withdrawal of 250 relief workers, leaving many of the people vulnerable. It is a very serious and sad situation.

Peacekeeping Force at Darfur Approved

The U.N. Security Council approved a 26,000 strong peacekeeping force for Darful to try to help end four years of fighting that has killed more than 200,000 people in the vast Sudanese region. The Force, the first joint peacekeeping mission by the African Union and the United Nations, will replace the beleaguered 7,000 strong AU force now in Darfur no later than Dec. 31.

Sudan Most At Risk for Failure

Among the 10 nations in the world most vulnerable to violent internal conflict and deteriorating conditions is Sudan, along with seven other sub-Saharan African countries. The most at risk for failure was Sudan. This is due to the violence in the Darfur region - the main contributing cause. A report showed as evidence that troubles in failing states often cross borders. Violence from Darfur is spilling into the Central African Republic and Chad. The other five African nations most vulnerable were Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Somalia, and Zimbabwe.

Story of Rape and Suffering in Sudan

Seven women pooled their money to rent a donkey and cart and then ventured out of the refugee camp to gather firewood. They hoped to sell it for cash to feed their families. What happened instead, they said, was that they were gang-raped, beaten and robbed in a wooded area just a few hours walk away. They fled back home, naked and devastated. One was seven months pregnant at the time. She said all the time, she kept thinking, they are killing my baby. The women knew who raped them. They say the men's camels and their uniforms marked them as janjaweed, the Arab militiamen accused of terrorizing the mostly black african villagers of Sudan's Darfur region. What a sad story.