International

The area of Abyei is located in the center of Sudan between the north and south, two regions of Sudan in conflict.  In July of 2009 the Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled on the boundaries of Abyei.  Now the people of Abyei will vote on whether to be part of the autonomous South Sudan government or the Northern government.  This area has a rich and complicated political history as well as oil resources that further complicate the political process.

In October of 2009 Sudanese refugees living in the northeast of the United States gathered in Burlington, VT to celebrate the Hague ruling.  The people gathered represent various ethnic and political groups speaking English, Arabic and Dinka.

for more information: New Sudan Vision, http://www.newsudanvision.org,  The Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration website http://www.pca-cpa.org  and the South Sudan government website  http://www.gossmission.org/goss

A delegation of community members and students march to the offices of Vermont's Congressional Delegation to deliver a platform of demands for urgent U.S. action in the Congo.

A talk by Cleophace Mukunda, a native of the Congo, explaiins how the demand for coltan, a mineral used in electronics, is driving a conflict in the Congo. Part of the series 'Congo Week: Breaking the Silence' sponsored by Saint Michael's College, The Vermont Global Health Coalition and Champlain College.

This video contains graphic images. Viewer descretion is advised.

Madhu Neupane, Burlington School District Home School Liason, presents the Bhutanese historical and cultural background, their educational and other experiences here in Vermont. A presentation of the Cultural Diversity Series of the Diversity and Equity Office of the Burlington School district and Fletcher Free Library.