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Darfur
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies,
but the silence of our friends.”
Martin Luther King Jr.

Sudan is situated in northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea and with an area of 967,499 square miles it is the largest country in the continent and tenth largest in the world. It borders the countries of Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya and Uganda. It is dominated by the River Nile and its tributaries.

Until 2005, Sudan was rocked by civil war that lasted 20 years, in which some 1.5 million people died. The civil war in Sudan was Africa’s longest which pitted the mainly Muslim north against the Animist and Christian south before the Comprehensive Peace Deal (CPA) was agreed.

In February, 2003, a large scale conflict began in Sudan’s region, in an area called Darfur. This conflict was between insurgency movements from the African populations of the regions against Khartoum's regular forces, as well as the Arab militia forces, the Janjaweed.

Throughout the conflict:

• Civilians have been the targets of violent attacks from all sides
• More recently Humanitarian Aid Workers have also been targeted
• The conflict springs from the political and economical marginalization of the people of Darfur

Darfur represents the first man made humanitarian crisis of the 21st century. The Un Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon certified Darfur as the worst humanitarian crisis facing the world today.

This certification is based on:

• Extensive mass human rights abuses such as:
• Mass killings,
• Burning of villages and crops
• Poisoning of local water supplies throughout the region

The following is a catalogue of the casualties to date stemming from the crisis in Darfur:

• 400,000 deaths to date
• 2.5 million people displaced from their homes
• 4 million people in need of immediate aid
• Close to 3 dozen aid workers murdered
• Daily reports of rape and mutilation of women and young girls, some as young as four years of age
• Extensive kidnappings of young boys who are used as child soldiers

Today, the international humanitarian aid agencies continue to encounter difficulties in administering aid in many parts of Darfur

• Access for aid workers is at its lowest point since 2004
• Attacks on aid convoys occur almost on a daily basis
• In Dec 2006, 250 aid workers from key locations have been temporarily evacuated
• Between May and September 2006 alone, 12 aid workers were killed in Darfur
• Today there are 480,000 people that face imminent death

Due to the international community’s inaction, the future for Darfur is very bleak. The following highlights what the future is likely to hold for the people of Darfur if the situation maintains its current trends:

• Increased number of civilian victims
• Chronic food shortages over the next decade
• Greater destruction of the agricultural economy
• Hardening of the ethnic divide between African and Arab
• Increased banditry and looting of aid convoys
• Increased social problems in camps
• Heavier burden on women and girls
  – Women are raped when collecting fire wood
  – Recorded instances of mass rapes

Throughout history, there have been examples of man’s inhumanity to man:

• The world was slow to recognize the impact of the growth of Nazism during the 1930’s
• More recently conflicts in Rwanda and Yugoslavia have resulted in massive killings

Internationally what needs to happen?

• Reexamine the N’Djamena ceasefire (April, 2004) and the Darfur Peace Agreement (May 2006) to enable the initiation of an all inclusive peace process
• Improve the DPA
  – Disarm the Janjaweed militias and all other localized militia groups
  – Provide compensation to the victims
• Get donors to honor funding commitments already pledged
• Establish an immediate cessation of hostilities
• Deploy the UN-AU Hybrid Force sooner rather than later
  – Enhance the deployment mandate so Rwanda, Kosovo, etc., are not repeated
• Stop weapons influx from neighboring and other countries
  – Implement the arms embargo (UN SC Resolution 1556/2004)
• Ensure NGO’s have access to vulnerable populations
• Divest from multinational corporations that continue to make profits from Sudan

The Voices of Hope Concert for Darfur will help enhance global awareness of the crisis in Darfur and in turn will help in the mobilization of the global family to increase demands for an end to crisis in Darfur. It is will also help to:

• Enhance civilian protection
• End human rights abuses throughout Darfur
• Use informed Star Power to deliver messages
• Support the NGO’s working on the front lines by providing funding for humanitarian operations