To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Speak Up for Darfur Now!
Darfur Women Action Group
The suffering of the people of Darfur has gone far too long after 13 years of daily attacks.
As a member of your constituency, I write to appeal to you and urge you to speak up for the people of Darfur and make ending genocide in Darfur and Sudan at large a priority.
We implore you to demand civilian protection, unhindered humanitarian access, accountability for perpetrators and empowerment of the affected communities by genocide in Darfur.
As a member of your constituency, I write to appeal to you and urge you to speak up for the people of Darfur and make ending genocide in Darfur and Sudan at large a priority.
We implore you to demand civilian protection, unhindered humanitarian access, accountability for perpetrators and empowerment of the affected communities by genocide in Darfur.
Why is this important?
We write to you because of the urgency of the situation in Darfur. We are gravely concerned about the genocide that began 13 years ago in Darfur and still continues today. Violence, rape, killing, burning of villages, arrests and torture has devastated the lives of innocent civilians in Darfur. Countless men, women, and children have lost their lives while the living under unimaginable suffering and have nowhere to turn. In spite of the alarming rate at which the violence continues to be perpetrated, world leaders have faced the situation in Darfur with silence. Those who have spoken up have not moved beyond words of condemnation.
That is why we urge our representatives to speak up for Darfur and demand that the U.S. government make Sudan a priority to bring a lasting solution to the long-standing crisis in Sudan. We want our government to care and we need the U.S. Congress to help become our voice and the voices for the people of Darfur. As Darfuri living in the United States, we are deeply affected by the tragedy in Darfur, we have lost many immediate family members and many more still suffer while we have been forced to flee.
Beginning in 2016 there has been a new surge of attacks against civilians in Darfur, Sudan. Over 150,000 people have been displaced in one month, children have been burned alive, and women and girls have been abducted and brutally raped while the bombing continues. The government of Sudan has isolated Darfur from the outside world, blocked information, and continues its crimes. In addition to over 3 million people who remained in camps for the past 13 years, violence escalates every day and humanitarian efforts are severely restricted. Rape and sexual violence have been used as a weapon of war and continue at an alarming rate in the displacement camps where women are the majority. Millions of Darfuris remain displaced and have been without a permanent home for 13 years while the number of newly displaced people continues to grow exponentially while the genocide continues unhindered.
The president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, stands accused by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur yet he is still free to pursue his genocidal policies. The government of Sudan has recently stated its plan that it will end internal displacement in Darfur by 2017, which means wiping out those who are helpless in camps. A referendum in Darfur was recently conducted in mid-April of this year by the government to decide on the future of Darfur, even while Darfuri victims are under attack and still struggling for survival with no ability to vote; this is Sudan’s “Final Solution” within its genocide. What is going on in Darfur today is very systematic and directed towards a particular group whom the government has singled out for extermination. The U.S. Department of State expressed its concern, stating that “If held under current rules and conditions, a referendum on the status of Darfur cannot be considered a credible expression of the will of the people of Darfur”.(http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2016/04/255663.htm).
This is why we need your voices to stand by our side and speak up against the genocide. The core of DWAG's mission is that in the face of genocide, we must not let our leaders turn a blind eye or look the other way. We need you to help us speak up for the suffering, make your voices heard and mobilize the masses to join us to ask Congress to speak up for Darfur. If we can reach out to more people, we will definitely compel our leaders to act promptly.
We greatly appreciate the 120 members who have signed the bipartisan letter to president Obama , asking him to make Sudan a priority and we hope that all members of the house of representatives can speak up for the people of Darfur and Sudan at large.
We are counting on you to add your voice. Sign this petition and help us spread the word.
That is why we urge our representatives to speak up for Darfur and demand that the U.S. government make Sudan a priority to bring a lasting solution to the long-standing crisis in Sudan. We want our government to care and we need the U.S. Congress to help become our voice and the voices for the people of Darfur. As Darfuri living in the United States, we are deeply affected by the tragedy in Darfur, we have lost many immediate family members and many more still suffer while we have been forced to flee.
Beginning in 2016 there has been a new surge of attacks against civilians in Darfur, Sudan. Over 150,000 people have been displaced in one month, children have been burned alive, and women and girls have been abducted and brutally raped while the bombing continues. The government of Sudan has isolated Darfur from the outside world, blocked information, and continues its crimes. In addition to over 3 million people who remained in camps for the past 13 years, violence escalates every day and humanitarian efforts are severely restricted. Rape and sexual violence have been used as a weapon of war and continue at an alarming rate in the displacement camps where women are the majority. Millions of Darfuris remain displaced and have been without a permanent home for 13 years while the number of newly displaced people continues to grow exponentially while the genocide continues unhindered.
The president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, stands accused by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur yet he is still free to pursue his genocidal policies. The government of Sudan has recently stated its plan that it will end internal displacement in Darfur by 2017, which means wiping out those who are helpless in camps. A referendum in Darfur was recently conducted in mid-April of this year by the government to decide on the future of Darfur, even while Darfuri victims are under attack and still struggling for survival with no ability to vote; this is Sudan’s “Final Solution” within its genocide. What is going on in Darfur today is very systematic and directed towards a particular group whom the government has singled out for extermination. The U.S. Department of State expressed its concern, stating that “If held under current rules and conditions, a referendum on the status of Darfur cannot be considered a credible expression of the will of the people of Darfur”.(http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2016/04/255663.htm).
This is why we need your voices to stand by our side and speak up against the genocide. The core of DWAG's mission is that in the face of genocide, we must not let our leaders turn a blind eye or look the other way. We need you to help us speak up for the suffering, make your voices heard and mobilize the masses to join us to ask Congress to speak up for Darfur. If we can reach out to more people, we will definitely compel our leaders to act promptly.
We greatly appreciate the 120 members who have signed the bipartisan letter to president Obama , asking him to make Sudan a priority and we hope that all members of the house of representatives can speak up for the people of Darfur and Sudan at large.
We are counting on you to add your voice. Sign this petition and help us spread the word.