Category: Blog

Last week, it was reported that the United Nations has to make seriously detrimental food cuts to the already inadequate rations to many refugees in Africa. The most relevant of the refugee camps that have been impacted are those located in eastern Chad, a place that houses mainly Darfuri refugees. According to Radio Dabanda, the numbers for some camps has dropped from 12 kilograms of rations per month to 4 kilograms of rations. The article also states that the refugees are only receiving three items: sorghum (similar to a grain), beans, and oil. The Darfuris have been resorting to eating a toxic seed that if not dried and baked properly in bread, will kill those who eat it. Some may ask: why they would risk eating something that could possibly kill them? But when they are so undernourished and hungry, any food option is viable.

The consequences: What do all these cuts in food rations really break down to? To start, the lack of food will directly lead to malnutrition and in some cases, death. The first and most likely the largest group to be impacted will be children. For many children and other vulnerable groups in refugee camps, if they do not get an adequate amount of proper food and nutrients within a vital growth phase of their early lives, it will have harmful consequences on their mental and physical development[1].

Imagine you are watching your children starving to death; you will feel you must do something. Families will also have to reorient their lives around being able to find and even afford food. Children will be forced to drop out of school to support their families[2]. This is a very dangerous problem that will result and according to the UN, but not the only one. They state that this could also lead to a rise in the amount of “survival sex”, forcing women and young girls sell their bodies to earn money for food. In a place where women are already constantly in fear of mutilations and rape, this is heartbreaking that they would have to resort to this.

All of this information indicates that the situation for Darfuri refugees is the most dangerous of its type, and hence requiring our immediate attention. We must act before its too late and we must call upon donors, governments and all humanitarian organizations to double their effort to provide the indispensable food aid to the refugees and internally displaced Darfuri genocide victims who have endured a great deal of suffering for more than a decade.

The ultimate question, is what can we do to help? What can the ordinary person do? There is always something that you can do. You can donate to the UN. You ask the United States governments, other donors, and NGOs to increase their humanitarian aid and you can donate to DWAG to help us speak up and make our voices heard and demand that international community takes immediate action to save lives in the refugees and IDPs.

By Genevieve Turcott, Outreach and Government Relations Intern

[1] https://www.wfp.org/stories/heads-wfp-unhcr-issue-urgent-appeal-food-shortages-hit-nearly-800000-refugees-africa

[2] https://www.wfp.org/stories/heads-wfp-unhcr-issue-urgent-appeal-food-sho…

Just because there are no media headlines about Darfur, doesn’t mean that the war is over. It is well known that the Khartoum sponsored Janjaweed are the main terrorizing force in Darfur. It has been conveyed since the genocide began that they were a group organized and funded by the Sudanese government, but the Government of Sudan was in denial. However, in the past few months, they have increased their attacks, and according to sources on the ground in Darfur, they no longer try to hide the fact that they are connected with the government.

What is most unfortunate about the entire situation is that the international community does not seem to care that the violence is substantially increasing and it has done relatively little to stop or prevent it. There have been no declarations, no sanctions, no calls for intervention of any kind, and yet the Darfuris continue to suffer. The only source that is reporting the violence is one of the most trusted, Radio Dabanga. In early May, they reported the Janjaweed attacked a refugee camp in South Darfur[1]. They attacked the refugees, took their possessions, and even took a man captive. In June, Radio Dabanga reported another brutal attack saying, “The gunmen beat them with rifle butts and whips. Seven of the displaced were severely injured”[2]. The common theme for these attacks, and for all of the attacks the Janjaweed commit is that they target the innocent. Not the rebel groups fighting against them, but they attack the vulnerable refugees, those who they have already forced to flee their homes.

For this reason, we at Darfur Women Action Group believe we need to empower the victims to speak up for themselves. If the international community fails at helping the Darfuris with this, it is responsibility we the people and the ordinary citizens of the world do instead. The most positive way an average person can make a change is through spreading awareness of the plight of the Darfuris. Use social media, talk about it often, and explain to others who do not understand the gravity of the situation how important it is that we stop it. We need everyone and anyone to help bring attention to this because of how important it is. The world must know that this genocide will not end if we ignore it, but the sooner we bring notice back to it, the sooner a solution will be found.

We the people must not stay silent in the face of the on-going genocide in Darfur. We must speak up and hold the world leaders accountable.

By Genevieve Turcott, Government Outreach and Relations Intern

[1] https://www.radiodabanga.org/node/72901

[2] https://www.radiodabanga.org/node/74995

Images:

https://www.radiodabanga.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/main-image/i…

http://www.satsentinel.org/blog/‘crime-against-humanity’-sudan-burns.

Darfur Women Action Group demanded adequate protection and dignified life for the genocide victims within Darfur and in their refuges in other countries

Today, June 20, 2014, Darfur Women Action Group along with its partners and supporters are gathering to mark this day by standing in solidarity with the victims of genocide in Darfur and the multiple crises in Sudan. We gather to call the attention of the international community to the long standing crises in Darfur and the plight of Darfur refugees who are forced to scatter to many countries around the world including many places where they face extreme hardship. We are also here to celebrate the successes and positive contributions made by Darfuri and Sudanese refugees to the advancement of their new community and to the discussion of what they can do to ease the suffering of their fellow citizens.

11 years ago, genocide began in Darfur in which mass murder, destruction of villages, and the brutal rape of women have ravaged the area and forced countless men, women, and children to abandon their land, their families, and friends seeking a safe refuge. Most Darfuris first fled to places closer to home hoping for a quick resolution to the crises and a speedy return to their loved ones.

At the start of 2013, the number of refugees around the world stood at
10.4 million. 4.8 million are registered in camps in the Middle East, and over 3 million are displaced from Darfur alone which make up 30% of the total world’s refugee population.

Despite these extremely alarming facts, we have been tirelessly advocating for peace and justice. Unfortunately, world leaders have done too little to end these crimes and sadly wecontinueto seethe political, security, and humanitarian situation in Darfur worsening every day. Today the overwhelming majority of the Darfur refugees are living in neighboring countries and the Middle East under grave conditions where women, men, and children are confronted with unspeakable suffering. A majority of refugees are young people and women-headed households who have been faced with only two options: to stay, die, and see their children die, or flee for survival and safety. Even though attacks against students and young Darfuris are intensifying in Sudan, the UNHCR, in most cases, does not prioritize the relocation of young people or provide them with education opportunities.

Today, families have been torn apart when household members are forced to live in distant countries thousands of miles away from each other.

The Darfur Women Action Group is gravely concerned, as the situation continues to deteriorate on the ground in Darfur, the number of displaced continues to increase, and the conditions of the refugees has worsened as their number continues to increase.

Today, there are uncountable numbers of Darfuri in Egypt, Libya, Jordan, Ghana, Central African Republic , Syria , Chad, and the volatile South Sudan where about305 refugee where killed in one weekduring the fight between Dinka and the Nuer. In most of the other countries, with exception of Ghana and Uganda, Darfuri refugees have been constantly threatened with death, prosecution, and forced deportation back to Sudanwhere they face long imprisonment, force disappearance, or execution. For example, in 2006 Egyptian police fired gunshots against a peaceful sit-in of Sudanese refugees in Mustafa Mahmud Stadium who were demanding help from the UNHCR, In addition to the killing of Darfuris by Egyptian security forces while crossing the border to Israel seeking better life and protection. In Libya, Darfuris continue to suffer from long-term mistreatment and exploitation; however, their condition has severely deteriorated during the uprising and the oustingt of President Gaddafi where they have been caught between opposing sides. Undocumented numbers have been killed and some have been forced to flee to the North Africa and Middle East.

Currently over 350,000 refugees have been living in Chad for more than a decade under critical humanitarian conditions and are subject to attack by the Sudanese border guards and the Chadian police whose leaders have allied themselves with President Bashir. The competition over scarce resources between the refugees and the Chadian population has led to many more problems for the refugees. In Jordan, the refugees are constantly deported back to Sudan where they face prosecution, If they are permitted to stay, they are not allowed to work in order to sustain themselves, yetthey have often not been provided assistance by UNHCR. In the event that they are found working, they will be imprisoned, tortured, and sent back to Sudan by Jordanian Authorities to face the violence that forced them to fleein the first place.

We are appreciative of what the United States and other countries have done to resettle some refugees and provide them with protection. Nonetheless, the world has done far too little to assist the Darfuris who are fleeing a genocide. The world’s response has not been proportional to the great magnitude of the crisis and its impact on the people of Darfur.

Today the suffering of Darfuri refugees has gone far too long. Darfuri refugees have been victimized over a period of eleven years with very limited options for survival. While fleeing attacks by their own government, they still face a great deal of suffering in the places where they seek refuge, especially in the neighboring countries where Sudan has political and economic influence. We have been hearing grave concerns about the way in which UNHCR has treated Darfuri refugees particularly in Egypt and Jordan. In Egypt there is evidence of families who have been given waiting periods for initial interviews of approximately 3-5 years , and for others some time their cases have taken up to 10 years to be reviewed by the UNHCR during which they have no any kind of assistance from the UN refugee agency. This lack of assistance further traumatizes an already victimized community. In Chad, there are recent allegations that Darfuri refugees were told by the UN agencies that they will now start limiting the humanitarian assistance to the children and the most senior citizens within the camps. Depriving the helpless refugees from means of survival is immoral and it is against the principal of the international humanitarian laws upon which the United Nation was formed.

Today, we align ourselves especially with those refugees from Sudan and Darfur, who have been displaced as the result of genocide and other multiple crises in Sudan.

On this occasion we are deeply moved and strongly reminded of the tremendous impact that the genocide has caused, not just in terms of physical deaths, but also social and familial disintegration caused by the forced displacement of over 3 million people. tWe also stand in solidarity with those who are left in Darfur, imprisoned in concentration like camps where they are visible and vulnerable to attacks by the notorious Arabs Jajaweed operating under the command of the criminal Al-bashir of Sudan.

Therefore, on this World Refugee Day we DWAG call on the United States government and the member states of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to fulfill their responsibility toward the international laws that they ratified by providing adequate protection and dignified life for the genocide victims within Darfur andtherefugees in other countries.

We demand that protection of refugees and their relocation must be prioritized by all actors especially in places where the their security and safety are threatened by conflict, suchas inChad and South Sudan

We demand that the UNSC provide adequate resources to UNHCR to provide protection and survival mechanisms to refugees, and to establish measures through which UNHCR can expedite their relocation process when and where it is necessary.

We strongly demand that the UNSC conduct investigations into the allegations of misconduct of the UNHCR in Chad, Egypt, Jordan, and especially in South Sudan where UNHCR refused to recognize Darfuris as refugees, which has endangered their very survival.

We call on all people of conscience to speak up for Darfuri refugees and internally displaced people, and demand that the US and the international community fulfill the above demands to protect the vulnerable Darfuri refugees wherever they are.

Niemat Ahmadi, President of Darfur Women Action Group

About Darfur Women Action Group

DWAG, works for the empowerment of the affected communities, to amplify their voices, and provide opportunities for the international community to hear directly from the most affected.

“Act Now to End Violence Against Women” was the theme of the recent global summit that was hosted by British government in London and was largely attended by people from all walks of life, including global intergovernmental institutions such as the UN and other nongovernmental organizations. While the summit was an important milestone toward addressing VAW (violence against women) worldwide, we believe there is a clear indifference in the world response to the plight of women. Unless there are practical steps taken and an inclusive approach that can speak to every single woman in conflict, or if the vicious attacks against women in Sudan are addressed, the campaign will only remain slogan.

Rape and Murder of a Woman in a Darfur Camp

While the world leaders and women’s rights advocates were meeting in London and debating how to address violence against women in conflict, sadly a Darfuri woman, Kltoma, was brutally raped by the Janjaweed militias and murdered[1] not far from Kalma camp3 where she had lived for years. However, there was no mention of this at the summit. Sudan, where the government policy and laws reinforce violence against women such as flogging women because of their choice of wearing pants and Darfur, where rape has been and still used as a weapon of war are notorious for VAW. Yet they were overlooked at one of the most significant platforms to address these issues.

Rape in Darfur is not just sporadic incidents, but it is a systematic plan by the government of Sudan and its Janjaweed militias to dehumanize, humiliate and kill the will of women in Darfur. It has continued to devastate women and girls for the eleven years of the crises in Darfur. It is imperative that the global summit includes the Darfur and Sudan in its priority agenda otherwise the campaign will not effectively eliminate a large amount of sexual violence in conflict in the world.

It is quite clear that because of the indifference and disparity in the way the world responds to the plight of women being raped and attacked, VAW has continued unremittingly in Darfur and Sudan.

Death Sentence for Meriam

By now, many have heard of the injustice that has befallen in Sudan concerning Meriam Ibrahim being sentenced to death for apostasy and adultery—apostasy because she has supposedly abandoned the Muslim faith and adultery because in Sudan’s Islamic law, Muslim women are not allow to marry non-Muslims (her husband is Christian). What makes it even worse is that Meriam recently had to give birth in prison because of her death sentence. The global community mostly agrees with the statement made by Amnesty International calling the decision “abhorrent”.

While there has been a large outpouring of support for her, the issue still remains of the injustice that she has experienced for expressing her right to religious freedom. Meriam is being persecuted for refusing to recant her Christian faith. However, the government does not see it this way. They believe that Meriam has abandoned the Islamic faith, even though she expresses that her mother, due to the lack of her father’s presence, raised her as a Christian during her childhood[2].

What this whole dilemma does is raise the debate of Sudan needing to allow not only religious freedom, but allowing more freedoms to women in general. Sudan has ratified the UN conventions meaning, they agreed to defend the concept of freedom of religion[3]. In going against this, it is another way of Sudan displaying their lack of willingness to develop as a state in the modern world. It also is an issue of oppressing women—if Meriam has testified in court that she was raised Christian, then there is no issue with her marriage and, therefore, she should not be persecuted. It is a problem of Sudanese suppression of women’s rights. Because the court wants to believe that she was not raised Christian and they want to believe she is lying, they treat her as such. Through all this we have found Sudan has problems in their justice system, in allowing expression of religious freedom, and in accepting that women should be given equal rights as citizens.

As always we stand vigilant to defend women’s rights. Darfur Women Action Group joined rallies outside of the White House and the Sudanese Embassy this past Thursday and Friday (June 12 and 13th) and stood in solidarity with her plight and to demand protection for Meriam, to have her death sentence overturned, and for her and her children to be granted protection by the United States government. Her children and husband are U.S. citizens and as a woman at risk of death who is a part of that family, she deserves protection and support from all world leaders.

What is happening in Sudan is the responsibility of the global community. Allowing a vicious government to continue deliberately committing atrocities against its own people and direct its most brutal attacks against women is immoral. Because of the inaction from the international community to protect women in Darfur from attacks against them it has continued with impunity. It is worth noting that the Global Summit to End Violence Against Women has overlooked the women of Darfur and excluded Sudan in general. The hard reality is that heinous crimes of raping a and murdering a woman continue, and sadly those who gather at the global summit have not expressed outrage or have even noticed what had happened in Darfur’s Kalma Camp

In order for the global summit and to succeed in completing its priority agendas and for their campaign to be effective, Darfur and Sudan should not be an exception.

By Niemat Ahmadi, President of DWAG and Genevieve Turcott, Outreach and Government Relations Intern

[1] http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/south-darfur-woman-raped-and-murdered

[2] http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27424064

[3] https://www.radiodabanga.org/node/74700

Recently, in terms of genocidal actions, one of the most prevalent weapons an oppressor group uses to torture their female victims is rape. While is it widely known that rape is used as a weapon in genocide, it is confusing to some about why this could be conceivably worse than the other methods of torment that Darfuri women are being subjected to. While rape targets women mainly, it affects the entire community that the women belong to. In Darfur, the Janjaweed, a group who attacks the Darfuris, uses rape because it is the most effective way for them to be able to demoralize the women of the African tribes. They wait until the women are isolated from a group, usually when they are collecting firewood or water. There are, more often than not, cases of women being attacked in refugee camps, which is even more horrific considering Darfuri women come to these camps to find a safe haven from their destroyed villages. Eric Reeves has categorized a good portion of the reports from Radio Dabanga to give an idea of the types of attacks occurring.

By placing this target on women, the Janjaweed and their partners are committing what is known as gendercide. Gendercide is a term that was created by Mary Anna Warren to highlight the outstandingly large number of female civilian deaths that are occurring throughout the world. She did not want to make it a separate category within genocide, but rather wanted to make sure that people were aware of the horrible crimes that are perpetrated toward women. Gendercide is not just for women, usually, the men are the main victims, but what it highlights is a type of mass killing that focuses solely on one gender of that society[1]. An idea that is similar to the term gendercide is gender based violence, or GBV. This is an issue that spans the spectrum of not just genocide, but of violence in genera towards any gender for any reason.

The consequence of rape is that is affects the whole societal system of the victims. It is what is called a “social death”, one that does not physically kill the victims, but makes them shells of people, scarring them mentally and forcing them to live with the horrible memory. Genocide is extremely personal, and the perpetrators take extra care to make sure they scar a society to a point that they will never recover. How then, can these women be helped and what is the right way to protect them, or if they have already been attacked, what is the best way they can be comforted and helped to overcome the trauma? The first priority is protection. This will be needed in both the local villages and around the refugee camps, both places where women seem to be targeted the most. The next important element is listening to the victim. The more we can understand the struggles of the victim, the more we are able to help them recover in the post-genocide era. For technicality purposes, a report from Harvard University actually was able to categorize steps that would be the best way to approach helping the female rape victims in Darfur. These steps cover elements such as setting up places in the camps where the women can safely report if they have been raped to gynecological services for women who may be pregnant as a result of the rape.

It is so important to understand the gravity that the impact of rape has on the women who are subjected to it in Darfur. One of the main issues Darfur Women Action Group looks to address is violence against women and the use of rape as a weapon of war, and while we may never be able to understand what these women have gone through, if we can comprehend how it does affect them, we can better help empower them to overcome the effects of the genocide.

By Genevieve Turcott, Outreach and Government Relations Intern

Genevieve is a student at James Madison University majoring in International Affairs and minoring in Humanitarian Affairs. She has an immense passion for human rights, especially ending genocide, and global development through education.

[1] Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction 2nd ed., Adam Jones, pp. 323

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Niemat Ahmadai

E-MAIL: niemat@darfurwomenaction.org , Telephone: 804 439 2022

Abdalla Babikir, Telephone: 202 369 1664

Rally on April 25, 2014 in Washington DC – To mark the Global Day for Action against Genocide in Darfur.

The Sudanese diaspora, along with other human rights groups, demand action to end the ongoing and escalating genocide in Darfur.

Washington, DC—The Sudanese diaspora and human rights groups will gather for a rally in Washington DC to express concerns and demand an urgent action to end the ongoing and recently escalating genocidal attacks in Darfur. This week Sudanese activists from all over the world will hold events, rallies, protests, and forums to raise awareness of the ongoing and escalating genocide in Darfur. The events, begun earlier in South Dakota, will conclude on Friday, April 25th in Washington DC and on April 26th in Toronto Canada. Other events will continue throughout May to draw the world’s attention to the rising violence in Darfur. Please join the Darfur Women Action Group and the Marginalized Sudanese Forum of North America on the sidewalk in front of the White House from noon-2pm for a protest on April 25th.

Since late February, Darfur has witnessed a new wave of bloody attacks, mass killings, rape, and displacement of thousands as the government-sponsored Janjaweed militias ignited a new surge of violence in Darfur. There have been more reports of intensified aerial bombings by the Sudanese government, particularly in eastern Jebel Marra and other areas in North Darfur, resulting in mass displacement. Recent UN reports indicate that the number of displaced people at the beginning of 2014 was around 215,000; however, many aid agencies have been barred from reaching communities in need, so this is a low estimate.

The Sudanese government has been accused of carrying out these mass atrocities. Its President, Omar al-Bashir, stands accused by the world of the most heinous crimes – genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Despite the two warrants for his arrest by the UN International Criminal Court, Bashir remains at large as a fugitive of justice who continues to commit crimes and is free to travel and participate in international and regional forums. Many of the world’s leaders have remained silent in light of the recent violence in Darfur.

We are demanding that the Obama administration vigorously lead the UN Security Council to ensure the following demands are met: Investigation into crimes committed in Darfur, investigation into UNAMID’s ineffectiveness and the cover-up of Al- Bashir’s crimes and lack of adequate reporting. We also demand pressure for unimpeded humanitarian access and accountability for al-Bashir and his sponsored Janjaweed militatias along with support for the ICC to bring the criminals to justice. In addition, we demand pressure on UNHCR and other UN forces and agencies to provide protection and assistance needed to the Darfuri refuges in South Sudan, Chad and other countries where they remain vulnerable to attacks by multiple actors. On April

25th, people around the world will stand together with the people of Darfur to raise awareness of the ongoing violence in Darfur. Witnesses from the diaspora community will be available for interviews For more information about events in your area and how you can get involved please visit www.darfurwomenactiongroup.org . If unable to attend, please send a message of solidarity to info@darfurwomenaction.org

On this day, the Darfuri and Sudanese diaspora, along with friends of Darfur and Sudan worldwide, will be holding events, including rallies, protests, forums, workshops and panel discussions in the United States, Europe, Canada, Africa and Australia to draw the world’s attention to and to protest the unfolding genocide in Darfur today.

Since February 28, 2014, Darfur has witnessed a new wave of bloody attacks, comprising mass killing, rape, and destruction of entire villages and camps, resulting in massive new displacement and loss of countless innocent lives. The government-sponsored Janjaweed militias – Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – are currently waging a new surge of violence in North, South, East and Central Darfur aimed at exterminating the remainder of the survivors of the 11 year long genocide; people who have continued to endure an unimaginable horror and dehumanization, while struggling to survive.

Intensified air bombing, particularly in eastern Jebel Marra and other areas in North Darfur, are occurring daily. Recent UN reports indicate that the number of displaced people at the beginning of 2014 was about 215,000 – and this is only from the places where the UN has some access. However, most of the affected communities are blocked by the government militias. In addition, the humanitarian organizations are threatened, expelled or prevented from reaching the needy.

As you all know, President Bashir of Sudan stands accused by the world of the most heinous crimes – genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued two warrants for his arrest with 10 counts. However, Bashir remains at large as a fugitive of justice who has continued to commit crimes while free to travel and participate in international and regional forums, where he is constantly cheered and welcomed as an ordinary diplomat

In spite of the longstanding suffering and the new surge of violence against our people in Darfur, world leaders remain silent or, at best, pay lip service with words of condemnation. This indicates that we are currently living in a very dangerous world where genocide can be and has, in fact, been tolerated to continue for more than a decade. Genocide is the worse type of human destruction and we believe that human destruction anywhere affects our humanity everywhere. Therefore, we are appealing to you all as ordinary citizens who are fighting against genocide to join us, become a voice, strengthen and amplify the voices of Darfuri survivors by speaking up for the people of Darfur and hold your leaders accountable for their inaction to end genocide or pursue accountability for these serious crimes that continue to be committed by al-Bashir and his government-sponsored Janjaweed militias.

Please Join Us

Details about the address and the places of the events will be forthcoming; stay tuned