Intimidation, torture, and violence.
Hundreds of activists, opposition party leaders
and journalists arrested and beaten.
Welcome to election season in Omar al-Bashir's Sudan. Sudan's first multi-party elections in 24 years are scheduled for April 2010. The elections were intended to serve as a capstone to the democratic transformation of Sudan promised in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that was signed by North and South Sudan in 2005. Instead, none of the conditions for truly free and fair elections are in place.
Bashir's regime has failed to: ensure freedom of association, movement, assembly and speech; limit the broad powers of arbitrary arrest, detention, search and seizure; end press censorship; allow equal access for all political parties to media; implement mechanisms to prevent election related violence; and allow unrestricted access for both domestic and international observation teams.
Not only are brave Sudanese who call for greater freedom being violently suppressed, the current conditions in Darfur make credible elections there inconceivable. Random attacks on civilians continue, movement of UN peacekeepers is restricted, and millions of Darfuris who live in displacement camps worry that participation in the election will lead to denial of their right to return to their homes. Any national election that does not include Darfur cannot be viewed as legitimate.
So what is the benefit of elections for Bashir's genocidal regime? They are a means to give it a veneer of legitimacy. And without scrutiny by the Obama administration and the international community, the elections will deliver the sort of legitimization that Bashir desires.
This is why it is critical for the U.S. government to shine a spotlight on the fact that the political freedom necessary for free and fair elections in Sudan does not exist.
We need President Obama and our elected leaders to send a message to the world that they will not recognize the results of an illegitimate electoral process, and will not permit a fugitive of the International Criminal Court to legitimize his brutal dictatorship.
Over the coming months we will need your help to make sure that our leaders do not let the upcoming elections provide legitimacy to Bashir's government. We will be collecting signatures, organizing lobby days and local events, blogging, and raising awareness through the media and social networks.
For more information about the crisis in Darfur, and for access to up-to-date linke go to www.savedarfur.org.
THE WORLD MUST SAVE THE PEOPLE OF DARFUR
Jesus' Mandate:
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' (Matthew 25:34-40)
Current situation: The current situation in Darfur is both tragic and complex. To quote Oscar Wilde, "The pure and simple truth is rarely pure, and never simple." But the complexity of Darfur should not keep those of faith and conscience from taking action.
Here's some basic information that everyone should know:
Darfur is a region of western Sudan that is about the size of Texas. The people of Darfur, who are mostly non-Arab black African Muslims, are among the poorest in all of Africa. The approximately 6 million Darfuri people exist mostly on subsistence farming or nomadic herding.
In 2003, after decades of neglect and abuse by the Sudanese government, rebel groups in Darfur tried to challenge Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir. The response from al-Bashir was swift and brutal. And the response continues today. The government increased military support to local Arabic tribes and militias known as the Janjaweed, which can be translated as "Devil on Horseback." These mostly Arab black African Muslims, with the direct backing and sanction of the Sudanese government, have, according to SaveDarfur.Org, "wiped out entire villages, destroyed food and water supplies, and systematically murdered, tortured, and raped hundreds of thousands of Darfurians."
To date, as many as 400,000 Darfuris have been died either directly from this brutal campaign or indirectly from its collateral disease and starvation. And approximately 2.3 million have been forced to flee their homes and take up temporary shelter in a vast network of internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Darfur and in neighboring Chad.
International response: The response to this humanitarian crisis has been late and inadequate. The African Union (AU) peace keeping force, tasked with simply monitoring the situation in Darfur and reporting and "ceasefire violations" is grossly underfunded and undermanned. Numbering only 7,400 it offers no real deterance to the Janjaweed attacks. Besides, it has no "civilian protection mandate" that would authorize the AU peace keepers to use force to protect the Darfuris in the first place.
To date, all attempts by the United Nations, the United States and other countries have done little if anything to reverse the deteriorating situation in Darfur. But that does not mean the situation is hopeless.
What you can do: Below you will find links to information and websites that will empower you with both more detailed information about Darfur and the humanitarian crisis there, as well as information about what you can do to be part of the solution.
Become informed, share that knowledge, and make your voice heard by those who can make a difference: these three steps, if taken by enough concerned people, can reverse the course of events in Darfur and literally begin to save lives.
And one more: Pray. Pray for the people of Darfur. Pray and act.
Together, we can make a difference.
WATCH THE SAVEDARFUR AD
Here's a look at the new Save Darfur Coalition TV ad.
The ad is powerful, pointing to years of Sudan's broken promises and empty agreements to the international community. All the while, the images remind us that the people of Darfur continue to suffer -- and that the death toll in the world's worst humanitarian crisis is still rising.
Sudan has "agreed" to peacekeepers several times but has always ended up breaking its word. That's why we must NOT congratulate ourselves on Sudan's most recent "agreement" to a hybrid African Union-UN peacekeeping force but must instead work to keep the pressure on Sudan to make good on its promise this time.
The Save Darfur Coalition's new ad is designed to help build that pressure -- but we need your help. Click here to urge the White House to act.
After you sign the petition, please forward this message to your friends and family to help grow our cause and move world leaders to action.
Together, we can make a difference
Click on center "Play" button to View Ad
WANT MORE INFORMATION??
For more information about the crisis in Darfur, and for access to up-to-date linke go to www.savedarfur.org.
