Photos: George Clooney in Sudan

GlobalPost
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The World

George Clooney is the most persuasive voice for the independence of South Sudan.

Last month he visited southern Sudan to draw attention to the dangers that the area could return to war over the issue of the independence of southern Sudan from the north.

Back in the U.S. Clooney gave his smart, sharp take on Sudan to President Barack Obama, the Council on Foreign Relations, not to mention Larry King and the Today show.

Monday night he continues his campaign by speaking to anti-genocide activists at Stanford University. Clooney co-wrote an article with John Prendergast of the Enough Project in which they argue that U.S. diplomacy can steer Sudan to a sustainable peace.


 Here is Clooney by the plane in which he traveled to southern Sudan. Clooney recently spent a week in southern Sudan on a fact-finding trip talking to local residents, official and policy makers. (Tim Freccia/Enough Project/GlobalPost)

George Clooney and Ann Curry of NBC travel up the Nile river in a speedboat, stopping to look at signs of mounting tension in southern Sudan. They stopped in the village of Lul, home to hundreds of people who were displaced in the recent inter-tribal fighting. (Tim Freccia/Enough Project/GlobalPost)


George Clooney and Ann Curry ride into Abyei, Sudan amid heavy security. The oil-rich region of Abyei is on the border between Sudan's north and south and could be a potential flashpoint of conflict around the referendum over independence for South Sudan. (Tim Freccia/Enough Project/GlobalPost)


Throngs of students greet George Clooney and Ann Curry during their visit to the village of Marial Bai in Southern Sudan. The village is the home of Valentino Deng, the main character of the book, "What is the What." (Tim Freccia/Enough Project/GlobalPost)


Sudanese students perform a traditional dance to welcome George Clooney to the village of Marial Bai. (Tim Freccia/Enough Project/GlobalPost)


George Clooney talks to a village elder in Lul, southern Sudan. (Tim Freccia/Enough Project/GlobalPost)

Valentino Deng and George Clooney tour the school that Deng built in his village of Marial Bai. Deng, the main character of the book "What Is the What," was a refugee in the U.S. who returned to Sudan to set up schools. (Matt Brown/Enough Project/GlobalPost)


A Sudanese official studies a map of Abyei as George Clooney leans against the side of the airplane Clooney chartered to travel to the sensitive border region of Abyei where he listened to the concerns of residents. They said they fear a return to conflict during the vote over the independence of South Sudan. (Tim Freccia/Enough Project/GlobalPost)


George Clooney talks with a Sudanese man who was displaced during clashes in Abyei in 2008. Intense fighting between troops of the north and south erupted in the oil-rich region forcing thousands to flee their homes. (Tim Freccia/Enough Project/GlobalPost)


Formerly displaced Sudanese people share their stories with George Clooney in the town of Abyei. Along the north-south border, the town was razed in 2008 and could be a flashpoint  for violence during January's referendum over independence for South Sudan. (Tim Freccia/Enough Project/GlobalPost)


A southern Sudanese soldier stands guard outside of the regional administrator's house in Abyei, a disputed region along the north-south border of Sudan. (Tim Freccia/Enough Project/GlobalPost)


The sun sets over the Nile river near the town of Malakal in Southern Sudan. The border area between the north and south, including Malakal, has become tense as the each side arms themselves ahead of the Jan. 9 referendum on independence for the south. (Tim Freccia/Enough Project/GlobalPost)

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