+ profile. save darfur coalition
save darfur coalition
+alia jones
First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.
+ Pastor Martin Niemöller
Has the time finally come for the global community to put a stop to the killing, looting, and burning in Darfur? 100+ US religious and humanitarian organizations formed the Save Darfur Coalition in 2004 to encourage just that. “Save Darfur” was formed on the premise that with awareness, human beings would not stand for senseless death and destruction. Spearheaded by groups such as the National Council of Churches and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, “Save Darfur” has grown to include organizations that stand for women’s rights, refugee support, and against prejudice. Their campaign for awareness has garnered the support of celebrity activists like George Clooney and politicians like Senator Barack Obama (D- IL). Both have signed on as spokespeople for the campaign.
The genocide in Darfur began developing in 2003 in an area facing desperate economic challenges and desertification. Several loosely allied black African groups, the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement, took up arms in protest against the corruption and poor economic conditions habitually ignored by the Darfur government. The Arab-led government response was to outfit an opposing ragtag militia of Arab horsemen, the Janjaweed, with heavy artillery and supplies. According to the 1948 U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, the deliberate killing of members of a "national, ethnical, racial or religious group" and/or deliberate attempts to bring about the physical destruction of a group constitutes genocide. The nature of the attacks on the Sudanese villages, Darfur sponsored military air raids and bombs followed by Janjaweed assaults, have caused destruction in three ways: (1) men and boys are killed en masse, (2) women and girls are raped or abducted, and (3) all means of agricultural production are destroyed. By poisoning the water supply with dead bodies and slaughtered cattle, burning all of the shelters, ripping out the irrigation systems, and cutting down fruit trees, the Janjaweed have ensured that it will be extremely difficult for these villages to thrive again.
The reluctance to pick sides and widespread confusion over the terms of the peace agreement signed in 2005 to end tribal conflict in South Sudan on the part of the international community have been the primary obstacles this organization has had to overcome to spread the ugly facts of the current situation – 400,000 dead and 2,000,000 refugees. But increasingly, the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan has become more and more difficult to ignore as the staggering death tolls rise. Unlike the crisis in Rwanda 12 years ago, humanitarian organizations are on the ground supplying food and encampment to the 2,000,000 displaced Sudanese. In the U.S., the House of Representatives voted to condemn the genocide in Darfur early in the conflict and passed The Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (H.R. 3127) in April to authorize the President to impose sanctions on Sudan and provide aid to the African Union. Additionally over $300 million in aid has already been appropriated by the Senate. But even with all of the legislation passed and the aid provided, the United Nations reports that humanitarian groups will leave as the refugee camps become more dangerous and as funding for food runs out in next few months.
As a result, “Save Darfur” is encouraging people to pressure the government into becoming more active now. A Million Voices for Darfur is their present campaign to collect one million postcards or electronic signatures addressed to the President. The group has used a website, www.millionvoicesfordarfur.org, and a Myspace profile, www.myspace.com/savedarfurcoalition, to spread the message and gather electronic postcard signatures. The campaign to lobby members of Congress is gaining momentum as well. Senator Obama has encouraged each American to write personal notes to their representative and senators denouncing the atrocities in Darfur and calling for tougher action by the US. “Save Darfur” has organized a 27-city tour by a former Marine observer to the peacekeeping mission in Darfur in support of the Million Voices campaign. The savedarfur.org website monitors U.S. House and Senate action to date, creates curricula for teachers, and even lists activist groups for students to join. The Coalition also sells “Save Darfur” Awareness merchandise – t-shirts, hats, lawn signs, wristbands, posters, and magnets – on the website. “Save Darfur” announced a 500,000 postcard milestone in April.
The most visible A Million Voices for Darfur effort to date was the “Save Darfur: Rally to Stop Genocide” rally that took place on April 30th on the National Mall in DC. Genocide survivors, politicians, celebrities, religious leaders, and entertainers spoke out against the atrocities in Darfur and uniformally encouraged more action. Russell Simmons, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Governor Jon Corzine were among the long list of speakers that joined spokesmen Clooney and Senator Obama at the rally. “Save Darfur” also pulled together a diverse concert line-up for the event including country music group “Big & Rich”, hip-hop soul singer Maya Azucena, Ethiopian singer Wayna, and The Davey Yarborough Quintet featuring Esther Williams. More than 100,000 people were expected to attend.
As the “Save Darfur Coalition” picks up steam in the third year of the ethnic cleansing in Darfur, will the Coalition’s efforts be enough to stop the Sudanese government-sponsored Janjaweed from killing, raping, poisoning and burning? Will the humanitarian groups get enough funding to save the lives of the large and growing number of displaced refugees? Will Sudan and neighboring countries be rescued from the imminent destabilization of the region and its devolvement into fertile breeding ground for new terrorists? “Save Darfur” will continue to call for pressure on the western governments to do more in the hope that their efforts will be enough.
Alia Jones is the engine that makes the Nat Creole ride ride. And she has a conscious too. Nice.