Category: Blog

Please read this interview by Nuba Reports featuring Adriane Ohanesian, a photojournalist who snuck into Darfur to take photographs of the current situation in Jebel Marra, Sudan.

 

Last week, one of the photos Ohanesian shot on her trip received international attention: The image, The Forgotten Mountains of Sudan, shows a 7-year-old boy who was burned by a bomb. It won the second prize in the prestigious World Press Photo’s contemporary issues category.

Thank you Adriane for creating awareness of the situation in Darfur and for exposing these atrocious crimes to the world.

 

Darfur needs you now more than ever before – Speak up; Silence kills more people every day!!!!

Thirteen years into Darfur’s catastrophe and civilian casualties increase each day while the world remains SILENT!!!

Violence, rape, arrest and torture have devastated the lives of the innocent civilians in Darfur. Countless men, women, and children lost their lives while the living endure 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.

As you may have seen, 2015 was a very difficult year for our people in Darfur and we were hopeful that 2016 might be different. Unfortunately, the attacks continue at an alarming rate and the international community is, once again, failing Darfur. The Sudanese government falsely declared a ceasefire in the fall, only to prepare for the largest offensive in years.

The Urgency of the Situation:

During the month of January 2016, violent attacks, killing, rape, arrest and torture have devastated the lives of the long suffering innocent civilians of Darfur.  Many men, women and children have lost their lives, and those who have been forced to flee have nowhere to turn, as humanitarian aid has been restricted and controlled by the government of Sudan.

From January 1, 2016 through the 2^nd week of January, the people of Mouli area and the city of El Geneina (the capital of West Darfur) have been subjected to a brutal attack by the Janjaweed militants (Rapid Support Forces). Fourteen people have been reported killed and over 150 have been reported wounded inside El Geneina. A majority of the victims are high school students. For more than two weeks, civilians were terrified by the attacks and severe human rights abuses and more than 5000 families have been forced to flee. Sadly, they are people who have been displaced several times during the last 13 years.

Consequently a new surge of violence continues in Central Darfur today, one in which the government of Sudan has renewed and intensified attacks as well as aerial bombing in Jebel Marra. The targeted areas are inhabited by civilians, a majority of whom are women and children. According to sources on the ground, about 124 villages around Jebel Marra have been completely destroyed and over 50,000 people have been forced to flee, some to the caves at the top of the  Marra Mountains. The remainder have been driven to camps and nearby cities where the UN has estimated that about 34,000 are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. They are sadly facing the harsh winter without shelter or food. Reports also confirmed that many women and girls were raped and some taken hostage by the Janjaweed and the Government forces; their fates remain unknown.

The Ongoing Tragedy:

As you know, 2015 was a very difficult year for our people in Darfur as about 233,000 have been reportedly displaced in the 1^st quarter of the year, adding to those who were already displaced. Over 3 million people still remain in camps and have been there for 13 years as violence escalates and humanitarian efforts are severely restricted. Rape and all forms of sexual violence 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. Many of the targets also include college students that are being abducted, imprisoned, and killed. The genocide continues unabated.

The Challenges Facing Darfur:

President al-Bashir, the mastermind behind the genocide in Darfur and a man indicted and wanted by the ICC, is still actively pursuing his genocidal policy in Darfur and other regions of Sudan. Despite the alarming situation in Darfur, the international community has chosen to ignore it. Similarly, the mainstream media has failed to cover the current situation and the ongoing genocide is no longer making headlines at the New York Times or Washington Post as it had in the past.

The government of Sudan has made every effort to isolate Darfur from the outside world. For example, President Obama’s special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan has never been to Darfur since his appointment. The Representative of the UN Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones has also failed to visit Darfur in recent years, even though rape continues unhindered and unreported.

UNAMID, the forces that have been put in place to protect civilians, have failed to carry on their mandate and remain under severe restrictions. They have been characterized by impartiality, incompetence and have not reported deaths and sexual violence committed by the regime forces which were previously reinforced by the former UNAMID spokesperson, Aicha Albasri .

Al-Bashir, the indicted genocidal criminal, has successfully blocked access to information from Darfur in order to continue his crimes and get away with murder.

Change in the Narrative:

Many advocates have moved away from Darfur or condone the change of narrative that the government of Sudan and its allies want to hear, replacing the word “genocide” with “atrocities” in order to water down the urgency of the situation. This has let the international community treat Darfur with less urgency and allows the world to move away from focusing on Darfur.

The world may think the crisis in Darfur has ended because it is not being reported in the news, but the truth is that over 460,000 Darfuris were displaced in 2013, another 500,000 were displaced in 2014, and over 233,000 people were displaced in the first quarter of 2015. In one day alone on October 31st , 2014, 221 women and girls were raped in Tabit village and the perpetrators have suffered no consequences. This is not an isolated incident but it is a systematic tactic and deliberate policy of the regime, which continues to use rape as a weapon of war in Darfur.

On December 18th and 19th, 2015, 700 Darfuri refugees, who had escaped the genocide, were suddenly and forcibly deported from Jordan back to Sudan to face the very genocidal regime that they had fled for protection. At the beginning of 2016, a new surge of violence, using the same strategy of the Sudanese government’s “scorched earth” campaign has already begun and is on the way to  kill more people. The government of Sudan has declared a plan to end displacement by 2017, which means wiping out even those who are helpless within the internally displaced camps in Darfur.

A date for a referendum in Darfur has been scheduled for the upcoming  2 months from now 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.  There is a strong possibility that there will be a distribution of Darfuri land to Arab tribes and new settlers who were bought by the government of Sudan to overtake the Darfur region. This is a dangerous move which represents the final stage of the Darfur genocide, if it is allowed to happen. What is going on in Darfur today is very systematic and directed toward the same group whom the government has singled out for extermination since 2003; it is Sudan’s “Final Solution” within its genocide.

This is why we need you, your voice, and your support.

With the all persisting challenges, Darfur Women Action Group and its supporters remained vigilant and refuse to stand idly by. We say NO to the silent conspiracy on Darfur and decided that we must empower the survivors and the ordinary citizens to speak up.

We called upon our supporters and volunteers to stand with us. We are currently mobilizing and organizing the Diaspora within the United States and across the globe to use their voices, bring more attention to this terrible situation, and demand that our leaders act now before it’s too late.

We can’t do this without your support and that is why we are calling on you to stand by our side. We know you care and you will not be a bystander in the face of these horrific crimes. DWAG believes 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 add your voice and speak with us and mobilize the masses.  If we can reach out to more people, we will definitely compel our leaders to act promptly.

We at Darfur Women Action Group are determined to continue to fight against these horrific crimes. We will continue to expose al-Basher’s crimes to the world and will continue to fight for justice for the victims and accountability for the perpetrators of the world’s worst crimes.

We need you all. Together, we must continue to remind the world and must not let al-Bashir and his cronies get away with murder.

In the coming days, we will continue to share with you our updates and provide you with opportunities to take action. Please help us spread the word and get more people involved.

Do what you can from where you are to empower us to continue to fight for justice in Darfur and across Sudan. As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Time is always right to do the right things”.

We are grateful to have you all by our side.

With gratitude,

Niemat Ahmadi

President, Darfur Women Action Group

 

EMMANUEL OGEBE

Quite yet passionate and has a special ability to get his message across. A Nigerian born American lawyer with a deep sense of determination in his face.

Emmanuel has opened his home to the young Chibok high school girls who have been abducted by the notorious Boko Haram terrorist group operating in Nigeria.

He has advocated tirelessly for international communities and US support for the release of the abducted Chibok girls and has joined the Bring Our Girls Back campaign to bring attention to the horrific attack against young women in Nigeria.

Mr. Ogebe has not only spoken up for women but further opened his home for the rescued girls to come to the United States to be protected and has established the Education After Escape initiative to support the survivors of Boko Haram abduction to continue their education while being protected in the US.

We are honored to highlight Emmanuel’s story as DWAG’s hero of the year 2015.

Read what Emmanuel has to say about women:

Why did you choose to fight for women’s rights and to end violence against women in Nigeria or elsewhere?

Women are the live wire of humanity and the African woman in particular is the central engine of the family unit. Yet women don’t get the protections and respect they deserve.
What is your organization doing – we are relocating and placing girl victims of Boko Haram back in safe schools

What is your message on this day and what you want others today to help women?

We want to draw attention to the outrageous use of girls as suicide bombers by Boko Haram terrorists and demand that the global community joins hands to exterminate Boko Haram immediately. We call on Muslim scholars to issue statements denouncing the killing of girls as martyrs of jihad.

Fox News Interview (http://www.fox5dc.com/news/pay-it-forward/56453781-story

MMANUEL OGEBE, ESQ

Mr. Emmanuel Ogebe is an international human rights lawyer specializing in Africa. He earned the singular distinction of being the youngest law graduate in his home country of Nigeria. Exiled to the US after becoming one of Nigeria’s political detainees during the brutal years of military dictatorship under General Abacha, Mr. Ogebe has played a role in shaping US Congressional and foreign policy in Nigeria’s quest for a stable democracy. In addition to testifying before the New York City council on the historic move to name a street after a slain Nigerian activist, he was first invited to testify on Nigeria before the US Congress in the 90s. Mr.Ogebe has been a guest speaker at university campuses across the US and on radio and TV programs around.

Mr. Ogebe has vast experience in managing, designing and implementing complex international programs and projects in Nigeria. For over a dozen years, he has worked in an environment reputed for hardship, poor infrastructure, political risk and corruption. His specialization in US-Nigeria affairs has positioned him strategically to relate to key players on both sides of the aisle and on both sides of the Atlantic. He was consulted by the Clinton Administration as well as the Bush Administration on their Presidential visits to Nigeria in 2000 and 2003 respectively. Mr. Ogebe’s experience includes working on behalf of a US Government funding entity to identify and forge co-funding alliances with stakeholders on development projects under the bilateral trade, aid, and development promotion policies.

Mr. Ogebe is presently practicing as a Special Legal Consultant on Nigeria licensed by the Washington DC Bar in 2003. He holds the distinction of being the first specialist on Nigeria out of 100,000 lawyers admitted in the US capital. His consulting firm the US Nigeria Law Group is located in Washington DC.

He also doubles as Special Counsel for the Justice for Jos Project which has worked in the last 5 years to document, litigate and garner international attention to the horrific crimes against humanity targeting northern Nigeria’s minority Christian population. He engages with the United Nations, The International Criminal Court, the EU and the US amongst others to advocate on behalf of the persecuted minorities. On November 13 2013, Mr Ogebe testified before the US Congress’ Africa subcommittee and was credited by the chairman of being helpful to the US administration’s policy reversal by designating Nigerian terror group Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organization that day.

He is recipient of The US President’s Bronze award for his volunteer work helping NGOs in northern Nigeria. His organization Education Must Continue Initiative is currently working to help the Chibok schoolgirls who were abducted by Boko Haram in April 2014. Ten Chibok schoolgirls are currently in US schools under this initiative and thousands of child victims of terror being taught in EMCI’s IDP schools in Nigeria.

http://emcinitiative.org/ http://www.ibtimes.com/nigerias-education-crisis-boko-haram-targeting-schools-teachers-students-devastating-2177842
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2015/1207/In-war-with-Boko-Haram-Nigerians-battle-to-keep-the-classroom-door-open

MEET DWAG’S HEROES OF THE YEAR

We are pleased to invite you to join us in recognizing our heroes. As part of our International Human Rights Day celebration, we are honored to recognize our outstanding women’s rights leaders.

This French-American film maker living in Santa Barbara, CA with his actress wife, Roxanna Bina, and their three young sons is a Board member of Darfur Women Action Group.

Emmanuel is a man with a playful, dynamic, upbeat persona. He is well-known in the movie industry as a director, producer, and entrepreneur, in addition to his expertise as a film and music journalist. But it is his passionate philosophy as noted in his personal mantra -“In Oneness is Love; In Oneness is Peace” – that is clearly exemplified in his movie “FEMME Women Healing the World”. He has taken an unconventional approach in portraying women in our society in the most beautiful way you would want to see. Unlike the traditional media portrayal of women as weak or seductive or as victims, Emmanuel has, via his powerful documentary “FEMME Women Healing the World”, gone in-depth and precisely uncovered the power of feminine love and the presence of compassion that each and every single woman throughout history holds. FEMME has won many awards and is featured in innumerable international film festivals.

While he was interviewing women leaders around the globe, I met Emmanuel in LA and he invited me to be featured in his documentary. Later I asked him what motivated him to produce this film. His answer was very simple; he told me that he just views women differently than those who might abuse women see them and in order to change that perception, he had to do something about it. His movie would allow more people to see women from the lens that he had been gifted with. His documentary has beautifully reflected not only the love and compassion but the strength and leadership and the greater contribution that women have made from antiquity to today. His belief is that women empowered will empower all humans – and the result will be a more unified and harmonious world.

Emmanuel joined DWAG as a Board member in 2011 and continues to support our efforts including, but not limited to, attending our symposium and offering free screenings of his marvelous documentary to our supporters.

Please read more about Emmanuel and watch “FEMME Women Healing the World” the movie, order a copy or host screening to your friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjYopoPo55A

Read Emmanuel’s bio, like him on Facebook and give him a shout out on Twitter
Link to FEMME website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjYopoPo55A

Interview with Emmanuel: https://youtu.be/GHMg7JgJkQE?t=4

READ EMMANUEL’S WRITTEN INTERVIEW

Emmanuel, you are an experienced feature film producer, why did you choose to be a part of a Women’s Empowerment Film?

This is a legitimate question as many women but especially men always wonder why such a macho guy like myself did such a Feminist movie. Well there are several reasons.
First, almost 5 years ago I was completing another important documentary: The Invocation (trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yicNscEO0y0), which is an exploration of the notion of “God” and Oneness. When I did this film I travelled all over the World and met with male visionaries such as Deepak Chopra, His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu but I also went and met with enlightened and leading women such as Karen Armstrong, Sandra Ingerman, and Sharon Stone who became my partner, an executive producer and the narrator for The Invocation. By doing so, by “daring” to ask women about “God” to the contrary of most “spiritual” documentaries who just enlist men to give you an answer I discovered a whole wide Divine Feminine world and vision. You see men are not raised that much with the consciousness of the Feminine world. Even worse: because we are told not to whine, not to cry, not to fail, not to feel we develop very quickly a superman complex giving us the illusion that men are made to fight, conquer, take and eventually kill! Basically by age 10 a typical young boy anywhere in the world will have his “femininity”, his sensitive and caring and nurturing side totally removed, totally castrated. No wonder that later on we have most men having a “mid life” crisis, it’s the consequence of years of being un-balanced and un-happy with oneself. Therefore, by the end of The Invocation it was clear that ‘Femme-Women Healing The World’ was going to become my second endeavor and quest at trying to figure out how to build a safe and more sustainable future of Humanity. And second, to add a touch of humor to this answer I believe that as a French man I’m a compulsive women lover and I truly feel only happy and complete next to women and working with women. So spending 3 to 4 years of my life at the service of women, promoting them, empowering them and at the same time educating my male genre and myself has been a privilege, an honor and a dream come true. Ultimately this movie is not only a Feminist movie but it’s a Humanist movie aimed at demonstrating that together, men and women, we make and are Life!

FEMME: Women Healing the World is the second film in a series of documentaries that you are producing and directing with the intention of Peace. Can you give us an example of how women are healing the world?

First of all Women are Healing the World from the get go when they raise a child as never, ever do they put any single thought about hate, war, destruction. They are not the one giving at age 5 their boy a gun to go and play with! Their husband or brother does that because they think it’s cool and a necessity to teach the young “full of love” child how to “become a man”, a “God” and go and take this world apart. Everywhere I travelled to, even in the Middle East where women are clearly put on the side and men take over the dominative education of their boys I have never met a mother revolted by the idea her son should become a soldier and go and kill other people. Talking of the Middle East it is not written anywhere in the Quran that women are lesser than men and should lead a covered from head to toes existence. And it’s not written anywhere that any single Muslim has the right to kill another soul. On the contrary the Quran ask for every Muslim to accept and embrace Judaism and Christianity. The problem is that over the Ages Men has prostituted and distorted the message of every scripture. And it is not only with Islam but also with Christianity: remember the Crusades and the Inquisition. Where is it written that a single Christian has the right to kill and take and impose his views on others? God is Oneness, it is not male, not female, not a gender, not an entity. When Abraham asked God what he should tell his people who God is, God said: “Tell them I am what I am, I am”. God is the notion of becoming by being, of existence. “God is all and all is God” that is the common definition of all Religions and the rest is just Men’s interpretation sometimes turned into false prophecies giving them the illusion they have to go and conquer, take and kill. I will always remember my interview with Desmond Tutu when I went to South Africa: “You see Emmanuel, People think they need to fight for God, to defend God! As if God needed THEM to do that! Non sense!” I think for me Women are healing the World by bringing SENSE to the world, common sense, love sense, and Peace sense. This is how we will heal each other, by daring to say all the time: I Love You. Some people say true power is when a Man say 3 words and you’re dead. Well, I say that TRUE POWER is when a man and a woman say 3 words: I Love You…and then there is Life! I dare you to try it, it works all the time. Saying I Love you give you life to yourself and to other. There is nothing else that count and this is the true meaning, the true sense of Life.

You traveled around the world interviewing influential women for this film. How long did this take, where did you go and how many women did you interview?

Indeed I travelled all around the World, 5 continents, 6 with we count the “spiritual continent” I visited listening and being truly enlightened by over 500 mavericks women from over 25 countries. Of course I went and met with well-known ladies such as Nobel Peace Laureates Shirin Ebadi, Mairead Maguire and Jody Williams and also to Marianne Williamson (running for Congress right now! Go Marianne!), Jean Houston, Maria Bello (who has an amazing women charity called We Advance www.WeAdvance.org), Barbara Marx Hubbard, Sandra Ingerman, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Celeste Yarnall and so many more but I also and met with women who have not been exposed enough by the medias. Because, again, with the medias there is a tendency to only promote the ones who already are in the limelight and not take a “chance” on women who have not gotten a break and been picked up by a major outlet. Of course this “macho” attitude to go only with the Alpha female is changing with the power of the internet and more and more businesses run by or even belonging to women: such as the Huffington Post. Thank you Arianna!
In any case we travelled, my director of photography Claude Budin-Juteau (http://www.yellowtruckproductions.com/Yellow_Truck_Productions/About_Claude.html) to China (where women are completely re-shaping the whole country little by little!!), to Latin America (gorgeous Brazil and full of life Mexico), to Africa (in perpetual re-evolution from Egypt to Nigeria to South Arica), to the Middle East (the day Women are in key position of power in every Arab country there will be Peace!!), to Europe (France my “homeland”, Norway where I met Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi in exile from Iran (!), Italy, England…), to India (so many countries in one major force and women also little by little pushing for gender equality), to the US (my new “home sweet home”, pretty much 5 continents in 1 country and still re-inventing itself…even if the U.S Constitution does not guarantee women the same rights a men!! Still some work to do therefore!). What I saw and heard is that Women are here to take more and more the Lead. And it is not to lead us into War as Men have done for greed, for fear but to lead us into an era of Peace and Love. Yes, Men, do take a vacation with me, let’s find a good bar, have a beer (or two), shoot some pool games and let the ladies lead us out of this chaos!

There are 100 inspiring women that you interviewed in the film. What are the different viewpoints covered in the film? (For example: spiritual, political, artistic etc.)

The movie might appear as an intense back-to-back bombing of deep thoughts all intertwined in one long sentence but in fact and indeed there is a solid and strong structure to FEMME. We start with some Historical facts and therefore I asked a few scholars such as Miriam Dexter from UCLA (http://women.ucla.edu/faculty/dexter/ ) and Karen Tate ( www.karentate.com ) to explain how we got to this ultra macho male dominant society. Mesmerizing and several times a Nobel nominated genius: Riane Eisler (www.rianeeisler.com) joined also the ensemble of historians as well as Elisabeth Sahtouris ( www.sahtouris.com ). A second part of FEMME is trying to understand what the Feminine could bring to the table of change, to men and would it mean the end of us-men, and the take over of matriarchy over patriarchy.
In this segment of the film we listen to the powerful minds of Jean Shinoda Bolen (www.jeanbolen.com), Jean Houston (www.jeanhouston.org , Barbara Marx Hubbard (www.barbaramarxhubbard.com) and Sandra Ingerman (www.sandraingerman.com) and we come to understand that Peace and the Future of Humanity is all about the Partnership between The Feminine and The Masculine, between Men and Women. I can’t list the 100 amazing, inspiring, dedicated women from FEMME but I hope you will take the time to discover this amazing picture and let yourself get inspired by these many divine voices. The third part of the movie is about concrete ideas and solutions to fix our planet whether it’s with the environmental crisis, or the economical and political challenges ahead of us. Let yourself be guided by the Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi, Mairead Maguire and Jody Williams. But listen also to the genius of Angela Davis, Seane Corne, Maria Conchita Alonso, Barbara Lazaroff, and so many others. By the end of FEMME we hope you feel empowered to become Peace in Action, to be the Change you want to see in the World. Most of all we hope you will have received a huge dose of “I Love You” from all these Ladies to uplift your soul, carry your body so you can keep going with the struggle and challenges of your daily life, with the hope better days are coming!

You are raising a family with two sons and another child on the way. As a man in this world, in your opinion, why is so important to find the balance between the feminine and masculine energy?

Yes, having two sons, Felix (8) and Max (2) and a third boy, Oscar, due in June 2014! This is going to be a great team of Women advocates!! I can tell you that even so, compared to my friends who have girls, their level of energy is sometimes quite high this doesn’t mean they are made to be soldiers and the girls of my friends’ nurses! Maybe one of my sons will make a great nurse and this would be grand as there is nothing more important in life than to save and protect life. And I don’t believe guns protect life. Guns are made to kill, period. Both men and guns kill. Therefore as a dad, even so our society and the medias are bombarding them of false ideas and macho ideas, I try to keep away violence and guns from their education. I strongly believe that a balance of the feminine and masculine energies within leads to healthy completed human beings who can ponder the pros and the cons when face with challenges without falling for a rage-full macho brute response. Let’s remember that in the belly of our mothers we are roughly for 2 to 3 months both feminine and masculine. Even so there is a gender “separation” on a sexual level doesn’t mean there isn’t a gender Oneness not existing on energy, a spiritual level. It’s all about the balance of the Feminine and the Masculine, the Ying and the Yang, the Mars and the Moon, making one with the mystery of the Universe.

How can men thrive in hope for the future by supporting the women in their lives?

Quit trying to control, take over, dominate but on the contrary Men, dare to push a woman to be all she wants to be. Remember where you come from! Remember you owe women your life, as much, if not more, than from men! FEMME is a strong guide for men to understand women and give them a sense of hope and meaning in their lives. We show them they don’t need to be brutes. Every woman is reminding them they are made for Love as much as women are. I believe that when men will dare to life up the veil of every women still in-slaved somewhere in the World that they will be blinded by the light and the love a woman as to offer and they will be change. Love does change you for the better. If you cover love, light, like a flower you die and turn to dust. Right now to many men have kept a veil, physically, spiritually, over women and this is why we have such a level of violence, of disconnection and ultimately this leads to terrorism and war.

Looking toward the future, what can parents do when raising their children to support future generations shift towards Peace?

Don’t ever buy kids a gun, ever! Guns are made to kill and not to make Love! There are no arguments about this. IF you want to buy a gun for your own personal use wait to be a highly mature and educated human being who can admit and face the fact you have in your hand a “weapon of mass destruction” and assume the consequences. I would want to believe that if you are that person of high maturity and awakening you will realize you don’t need weapons to get to Peace. To prepare to Peace is NOT to prepare to War. To prepare to Peace you need to prepare to Peace. Today in a World that is in fairly sad chaos on so many levels we need to have Peace rooms at the White House and in similar building of other Heads of Government. The War room is obsolete and will never lead to Peace. So, parents, listen to your kids real needs and feelings. Talk to them as an adult and build their self-confidence by telling them over and over and over how much you LOVE them. Have Faith in Love not in War, in Life not in Death, in “God” not in Evil.

The world has only known to fight and be fearful for so long, how will men find freedom and their own voice by allowing the feminine energy to co-exist.

As I just explained in the questions above it’s all about the education of the new generation of young men filling them with as much Love as we can and removing the false idea that they are the Superman, the Head of the family, the God on Earth! It will take couple of decades as I still the strong remain of the ultra patriarchal system in place. But I want to believe that finally Men are broke and tired of dying everywhere in the World. This is probably why they start finally to let women lead and seek their partnership. Because they have realized their macho brute destroying views are not fit for a World that need more than ever Oneness and Peace. I trust Peace is coming and the liberation of Men, after year of mental jail, is here. Our film is a tool to understand the process and get some viable solution to be part of the Universal change. So, wake up, stand up and fight for your Freedom. Free your mind, free your body, and free the World and our Humanity.

How can women feel empowered and support men that are used to the fear and fight approach?

Be attentive and dare to confront your men with love and understanding. Don’t slap them but gently ask them strongly why they are not happy and what they need. So many men indeed are so used to leave in fear and violence that they have forgotten what it means to be in Peace, in Love. So it will take you some time to reach down into their core. But all Men are born good, to love, know that. Therefore be stronger that the mental sickness Society and the Patriarchal way have put into them and try to free them. It’s not an easy process as of course Men need deeply to want to change to be changed but they need your help first. They are sinking and they need a hand thrown at them to try to get out from the quicksand of their inner asylum. If you can’t do it on your women, seek help, as they are so many organizations capable of support. Remember we are One and we all are the saviors of each other, we trigger each other genius, each other Love. So keep at it, don’t give up, you will heal the Men and heal the World.

You spent several years gathering the interviews in this film. What would you say you have gained from your experience?

Not only I have gained an amazing education at being a better men and a better listener and supporter of women but I have removed all “superman complex” I had been enslaved by and realize I don’t have a brute to be a Man, I don’t have to take, use, abuse, destroy, conquer and kill. If only all Men would realize they are made for Loving, for Living and not for Hate and Killing, I want to believe the level of War and terrorism would decrease immensely. It will take time as we are still the victims of over 3,000 to 4,000 years of ultra macho dominative imperial system but I want to believe that a decade or two from now we will have young men for whom the notion of war is a true absurdity of the past, of their fathers. Jesus, Muhammad, The Buddha, Martin Luther King, JFK and even the Beatles said it, wrote it, sung it: “All we need is Love! All we need is Love! Love Love Love is all We need”. And I shall conclude with a true inspiring quote from Gandhi: “There is no way to Peace, Peace is The Way” which means to me that one day indeed People will be in Peace because there is no other way to Live your Life in pure harmony, in pure Oneness. Amen, Insha’Allah, Shalom Shalom, Namaste! Peace and Love.

I hope you all will be inspired to become women’s rights leaders

Sincerely,

Niemat Ahmadi, DWAG’s president

Donate to Darfur Women Action Group (DWAG) to be a partner in our lifesaving journey.
During this holiday season Please Give the gift of life to support Darfur Women Action Group (DWAG) sustain its lifesaving mission. https://www.darfurwomenaction.org/give. Please help us attain our target of $25,000 by December 31, 2015.

Before you donate Please Read about the current situation and What we have done together:
THE URGENCY OF THE SITUATION:

As you know, 2015 has been a very difficult year for our people in Darfur. Over 3 million people still remain hostage in camps, with violence escalating and humanitarian efforts severely restricted. Rape and all forms of sexual violence continue at an alarming rate in the displacement camps where women are a majority. Millions of Darfuris remain displaced and have been without a permanent home for 12 years, and the number of newly displaced continues to grow exponentially. College students are being abducted, imprisoned, and killed. Sixty percent of children in camps are of school age but have no access to education. The genocide continues unabated.

THE CHALLENGES FACING DARFUR:
Despite the alarming situation in Darfur, the international community has chosen to ignore it. Similarly, the mainstream media has failed to cover the current situation and the ongoing genocide is no longer making headlines at the New York Times or Washington Post.

The government of Sudan has made every effort to isolate Darfur from the outside world. For example, Obama’s special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan has never been allowed to visit Darfur since his appointment. The Representative of the UN Secretary General on Sexual Violence in conflict zones has never visited Darfur while rape continues unhindered and unreported. Al-Bashir, the indicted genocidal criminal, has successfully blocked access to Darfur in order to continue his crimes and get away with murder.

Many advocates have moved away from Darfur or condone the change of narrative that the government of Sudan and its allies want to hear, replacing the word “genocide” with “atrocities” to water down the urgency of the situation. Only genocide survivors and those who stand firm against it like you can understand how and to what extent this can be damaging to our fight.

DWAG’S RESPONSE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
We say “no” to the silence and shine a light on Darfur for all to see. We choose to speak up and remain vigilant, and continue to share the stories of those who have been silenced. Your generosity has enabled us to remain on track, keep the attention on Darfur, and hold our leaders accountable.

s to you, we have accomplished so much this year. We have been in close contact with our people on the ground and shared their stories with world leaders and activists to take more meaningful action. We have shared credible information from the ground to educate the public and our supporters about the current situation and circulated petitions to galvanize our supporters to engage and press the world leaders to take action. Through your support we have also offered services to people in internally displaced camps, though more aid is desperately needed.

In January, when government fighter jets viciously attacked eastern Jebel Marra and displaced people in the middle of an unprecedented winter in Darfur, we learned that 12 people died in one night. We called on you and you kindly supported our action and helped us raise money to assist in delivering lifesaving winter cloths to those left without shelter, some of whom may have died without your support.

In March, when Sudan was elected to co-chair the UN commission on the status of women, we were terrified, but we refused to get discouraged and remained salient. We called on you all and you stood by our side and helped us organize a protest before the Sudanese embassy calling the world’s attention and demanding that a rapist government not be allowed to chair the commission that was specifically created to develop policies that will advance the rights of women. With your help, we collected 221 pictures from our supporters to honor the 221 women raped by government soldiers in late 2014 in Tabit and were able to create visibility that enabled us shame and name the Sudanese government and the UN for its failure to respond.

In April, you helped us organized two important events to honor those who we have lost and to demand action to end the ongoing suffering: the 24-hour Hunger Strike and the protest at the White House. While these did not get a response from President Obama, they were noticed by Darfuris in 122 IDP camps, giving them hope by knowing that we and the American public have not forgotten them. We were also able to educate thousands of students and White House spring visitors who asked why we were there. Most of these students and international visitors had never heard of Darfur or its devastating genocide. They were deeply engaged and impacted by what they learned from us, and they promised to spread the word to their communities and schools.

In June,you helped us organize the world refugee day in which our community members were able to gather and tell their stories of suffering and success while steadily integrating themselves into their new society and working hard to be productive citizens in the US and extending support to their people in Darfur.

In late June, you helped us achieve a great victory when DWAG launched our petition calling on the UNSC to renew UNAMID’s mandate. Our petition was signed by thousands of supporters and the mandate was renewed by a unanimous vote of the UNSC and AU member states.

In July,you helped us stand up for justice on International Justice Day in supporting the ICC as the court of last resort to enable it to try criminals like Al-Bashir and achieve justice for genocide victims not only in Darfur but elsewhere in the world. Together we took on our social media campaign and reminded the world that the fugitive Al-Bashir is still free and we must not let him get away with murder.

On October 17-18 you enabled us to successfully host our outstanding 4th annual symposium on Women and Genocide in the 21st Century. Despite limited resources, we were able host speakers from a diverse array of backgrounds and expertise in addition to survivors not only from Darfur, but from as far as Kurdistan, Iraq, Nigeria and Rwanda. This would not have been possible without your generosity, kind support and your confidence in our effort.

Amazingly, along with our diaspora partners from Canada, we have been able to sponsor 425 children to go to school and provide them with school supplies. We have also been able to provide women in the camps with skills training and income opportunities that keep them safe. We trained 250 women and provided 51 with income to produce crafts that have generated income for them and their families.

In the US we have delivered winter clothes to newly arrived refugees in various cities. We have conducted training and offered mentoring to Sudanese refugees and provided free interpretation and translation Services. Despite our limited resources we have accomplished a lot because of you! With all the difficulties Darfur and our people are facing you have helped us continue our fight and we have been empowered and motivated to continue our effort.

During this holiday season, your donation is of particular importance to sustain our effort. Don’t miss the opportunity to give to an organization offering a myriad of important services both on the ground and in the US; please donate today. Donate

We have made it so far together and we would love to continue having you with us by our side during our lifesaving journey. Your donation of any amount will be greatly appreciated and will help us attain our goal that will sustain our joined effort.

Thank you for your support and generosity—we wish you and your loved ones Happy Holidays and a joyous New Year!

With gratitude,

Niemat Ahmadi, President, Darfur Women Action Group and DWAG team

International Human Rights Day

No Human Rights without Women’s Rights

Don’t forget the women of Darfur

As the world celebrates an important milestone in our history – International Human Rights Day – the women of Darfur continue to endure unspeakable suffering. Rape has been used as a weapon of war for over twelve years, and today it is more prevalent than ever. Therefore, Darfur Women Action Group (DWAG) would like to take this opportunity to remind you about the ongoing tragic situation and demand your support in speaking up for women in Darfur.

We would like to share with you the following tragic story of a 14 year old girl who was raped in a camp in Darfur as a one example and call on you to join our campaign in calling on president Obama to issue a statement to condemn the ongoing sexual violence in Darfur.

As reported by Radio Dabanga: “A 14-year-old girl was gang-raped in Tawila locality, North Darfur, today.”

Speaking to Radio Dabanga, a relative of the victim reported that four militiamen riding camels ambushed the girl as she collected straw in the area of Kedareik, five kilometres east of Tabit.

“They raped her alternately for three hours, from 10 am until 1 pm.,” she said.

The victim was taken to a clinic in the Zamzam camp for the displaced near El Fasher, capital of North Darfur.

“She is still bleeding. As a result of the shock she is not able to eat nor talk,” the relative added.

https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/girl-raped-by-four-near-tabit-north-darfur

Regrettably, this is not an isolated incident; it’s the daily life of the Darfur people who have been targeted for years. On this day we wish to remind you of the following facts:

The genocide in Darfur that began 12 years ago continues to ravage the region today.

– Sudanese government-sponsored forces continue to savagely murder civilians.

– Over 4 million people have been affected by the crises, with over 3 million having been displaced from their homes. 2.7 million Darfuris remain in internally displaced camps within Darfur, most in critical conditions.

– As of today, these camps lack any humanitarian assistance and the peacekeeping missions are failing to protect the vulnerable. Nearly 1 million Darfuris are refugees in neighboring countries with 377,000 in Chad alone.

– The world may think that the crisis has come to a close, but it hasn’t. Over 460,000 Darfuris were displaced in 2013 alone, over 500,000 have been displaced in 2014, and over 200,000 are newly displaced in the first quarter of 2015.

– Rape has been used as a weapon of war; women and young girls remain the main targets. You may have heard about the shocking incident that took place on October 30, 2014 in which over 221 girls and women were raped in one village, most of whom are elementary school girls.

Since the world no longer pays attention to Darfur, the government of Sudan has successfully isolated Darfur from the outside world and from the rest of Sudan. To make matters worse, the genocide in Darfur and the suffering of its population is now barely covered by mainstream media. This recent shift in attention has decreased international concern regarding the situation, ultimately reducing the sense of urgency regarding possible interventions.

DAWG is extremely committed to bringing attention to the situation in Darfur at a time when the international community has turned a blind eye and shifted its focus to other parts of the world. DWAG strives to educate the public and empower ordinary citizens to speak out, demand action, and hold their leaders accountable. DWAG’s priority is to bring attention to the forgotten plight of the people of Darfur. It also strives to provide the support needed by the civil society in the historically marginalize areas like South Kordofan and the Blue Nile region in order to jointly and properly address the issue of genocide and to bring lasting peace in Sudan.

That is why on this important Day, DWAG wants to remind you that “Genocide” is the world’s worst crime for which the international community has repeated the slogan: “Never Again.” Sadly, it is a reality prevailing in Darfur today. The situation does not only affect the communities in the region, but also poses a serious threat to the world’s peace and security at large.

While you celebrate the progress made in advancing human rights since its declaration, you must also remember that there are many more people who are still struggling for very basic human rights and whose lives are constantly at risk.

Your role in helping end this horror is of particular importance. What we are asking for doesn’t require a lot of effort! You can do what you can from where you are by taking only one of the following steps:

What the ordinary citizen can do to help

It takes only one of the following steps to be an upstander

– Speak up! Silence kills more people

– Write a letter to your government representative asking them to include Darfur in their agenda

– Join DWAG’s supporters and sign up for our email updates

– Keep the world’s attention on Al Bashir’s crimes and demand accountability

– Provide moral and material support to the affected communities to restore hope and help their people develop survival means: DONATE TO HELP US PROTECT women by providing them a safe space to learn skills and earn incomes to help themselves and their families. HELP US EMPOWER survivors to take a stand and to speak out Donate

Join our ongoing No Human Rights without Women Rights campaign through December 15th. In the upcoming days we will continue to feature our heroes and survivors who have played an outstanding role in advancing women rights. Stay tuned!

Thank you,

DWAG Team