IDP Camps Archive

« Older Entries
Bookmark and Share

This is Darfur: Guisma’s Story

Friday, April 22nd, 2011

Stop Genocide Now‘s i-Act team, together with its Sudan Now partners, has released a series of videos that tell the story of Guisma, a young girl from Darfur.  Together, the Sudan Now organizations have built a community devoted to ending conflict in Sudan.  With violence in Darfur on the rise, it remains as important as always to advocate for a peaceful environment that will save civilian lives in Darfur and the rest of Sudan.

Guisma’s story, one of many similar accounts, parallels the conflict in Darfur.  In the  first of three episodes about her experience, Guisma’s home is destroyed and many of her family members are killed.

The second episode in Guisma’s story shows her journey to the refugee camps and her life there:

Please help shine a light on Guisma’s story and the plight of Darfuri’s by taking action at Sudan Now’s website.   You can also  join the rapid response team through their Twitter and Facebook pages.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Activism, Darfur, Darfuri Stories, IDP Camps, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Bookmark and Share

The world’s leaders Failed Darfur women by their inaction

Friday, March 25th, 2011

The world’s leaders Failed Darfur women by their inaction

March 8 was International Women’s Day, a very special day for me personally as a Sudanese woman from Darfur. It’s an important moment in which I stand in recognition of the struggle of the Darfuri women and as part of women’s struggle worldwide. Despite the suffering, Darfuri women have demonstrated outstanding resilience and strength and have served as leaders and spokesperson’s for their communities during the ongoing genocide in Darfur, for which they have to be recognized, particularly those who are still living in the camps.

March 8th was the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. In 1911 – the year the holiday was first celebrated internationally – women could not yet vote in most countries. It is worth noting that women have accomplished a lot globally since then , however, that is  not because the world have changed or opened its arms for women to come forward and have access to the different levels of participation, no, this is not simply the case! It’s because of women’s unspeakable struggles. Despite the fact that today a number of women serve as presidents and in other positions of power, there is still a long way to go if women are to enjoy the same access and rights as men. Looking at UN’s  this year’s theme for International Women’s Day, “Equal access to education, training, and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women,” indeed it is a very vital goal to be accomplished, however it’s extremely overwhelming when I look back and see the challenges ahead for women like those in Darfur.

For 8 years, while women around the globe have celebrated International Women’s Day, Darfuri women endure horror and fear every single hour of their existence. Since 2003, women in Darfur have been crying for security, protection and decent life with dignity as their minimum very basic rights, only to see handful promises from the international community.

Today as I am writing, rape and all forms of sexual violence has become part of the Darfuri women’s daily life, following news coming from on the ground in Darfur, at least 10 women are raped every week and these reports are only from those who can be able to speak or find someone who can speak for them. There are many more uncounted cases of those out of reach who can’t speak for themselves. After 8 years of suffering and oppression, it’s very unfortunate to see how the world leaders have failed the Darfuris by their inaction.

Listening to the Netherlands based Radio Dabanga, women have been asked in this occasion to describes  their situation, as one woman from Zalingi said, “in this special day we are not celebrating , because we have been deprived from  life, we are constantly oppressed and set to live in fear for being attacked at any time. The government has oppressed us through rape, starvation and forced us to live in salience, this is happening within the watch of the United Nations/African Union Mission (UNAMID) that is suppose to protect us”.

In Sudan today, the systematic rape have been extended by the government’s security apparatus to target even Darfuri women in the capital Khartoum as in case of Safia Ishag who was arrested following the students uprising and brutally raped by three national security agents. The government has also integrated violence against women into its state laws which legalize the flogging of women in public because of their choices such as of wearing pants.  On March 8th Sudanese women in Khartoum went out to denounce these state laws, leading a peaceful protest against women’s oppression and demanding legal reforms. Sadly over 40 women have been beaten, arrested, and forcefully kept for further interrogation.

As one of the first-hand witnesses to the horror against women in Darfur and Sudan at large, I am determined to continue to speak for them to remind the world of the forgotten plights of my fellow people in Darfur. We must remind those leaders who have not kept their promises and call upon women leaders, particularly in the United States such as Secretary of the State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the US ambassador for global women’s issues, who have shown commitment to women issues that Darfuri women need your voices and demand your commitment to lead and rally the support for ending the tragic conditions that have surrounded their make shift camps for 8 years in Darfur. As women leaders, with competence and capability it’s imperative that you become the voice for those who are left voiceless in Darfur, and you should not allow the indicted genocidal criminal Al-Basher to rule over their destiny.

I urge the attention of women leaders worldwide, those who have devoted themselves to fight for women’s rights, to tell the world that Darfuri women need protection, security and safety. I call upon those who have committed to fight impunity that achieving justice and accountability for the crimes committed against the Darfuri women is morally imperative.

Finally, I can’t let this moment goes without recognizing the remarkable role played by Netherlands based Radio Dabanaga,  which lunched special radio program devoted to give Darfuri women a voice. It does not only give them the hope that they can now make their voices heard, but it will bring their plight to the attention of the world community. If a little radio can give a woman a voice, then why not the United Nations with its huge operation, or why does the United States not take such practical steps that can substantially benefit women? It’s evident that if we can’t do everything we can still do something that can tangibly improve the life of women in some areas that they need the most.

 

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Activism, Activist Stories, African Union, China and Sudan, Congress, Darfur, Darfuri Stories, Emerging Crises, Events, genocide prevention, Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid, ICC / Justice, IDP Camps, Obama Administration, Omar al-Bashir, Peacekeeping, United Nations, Violence Against Women | No Comments »

Bookmark and Share

i-ACT to Bring Kindles to Refugees in Darfur

Friday, March 18th, 2011

i-ACT Raouda Reading coursesy of i-ACTIn their tenth trip to Chad, i-ACT’s founder, Gabriel Stauring, and his team are at it again.  This time they are not only bringing hope to genocide survivors but providing some of Darfur’s most vulnerable refugees with a unique educational opportunity and exposing them to the innovative technology of e-Readers.

Refugee children on the border between Chad and Darfur are consistently in need of educational supplies, and as Stauring has seen in his previous visits, extremely eager to read.  While books often seem like sensible donations, transporting them to isolated areas such as Chad and Darfur is often pricey and logistically difficult.  The i-ACT team recognized this challenge and decided to do something cutting edge about it.

Tomorrow, members of the i-ACT team will embark on “Expedition #10,” and depart for refugee camps on the Darfur-Chad border, bringing with them ten Kindle Wireless Reading Devices.  These devices have the capacity to hold thousands of books in English, French, and Arabic on one portable electronic instrument.  Using a solar-equipped computer system, previously installed by i-ACT at one of the two camps they plan to visit, the Kindles (capable of holding a charge for one month) can be recharged when necessary and will be housed in a school environment for safe-keeping. The Kindle’s lightweight, sturdy design, and its readability in light and darkness, makes it especially practical for such remote areas.

The viability of this rare project and its anticipated success lies in the cultivation of the deeply-rooted relationships between Stauring and the refugee community.  And, with nine visits under his belt, Stauring is well aware that there might be bumps along the way, but acknowledges that this longstanding relationship will allow the team to ‘fine tune the program’ and make adjustments on future visits.

Letter from Student (i-ACT)

Most importantly, i-ACT is invested to ensuring that refugees play a leading role in the project’s development.  The team plans to collaborate with the refugees to establish a library system that houses the e-Readers and serves as a space where refugees can easily access them.  Librarians will keep track of the most popular books so that i-ACT can return with similar ones on subsequent trips.

Looking beyond the coming weeks, Stauring and the rest of the team at i-ACT hope that this will be a lasting project and one that greatly contributes to the education and overall quality of life for young refugees.  As Stauring mentioned in a recent e-mail, “More than anything else, they [the refugee children] see education and reading as the key to their future” and these e-Readers will be one of the tools helping them reach their fullest potential.

i-ACT will start delivering the Kindles tomorrow (March 19th). You can follow the team’s journey as they post videos, blogs, and photos from the refugee camps.  They will capture the delivery of the Kindle e-Readers and share it at www.iactivism.org.

To learn more about the project please visit i-ACT’s project page at http://www.iactivism.org/2011/03/reading-project/.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in IDP Camps | Comments Off

Bookmark and Share

Darfur Interfaith Network demands attention to Darfur

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

“No impunity for genocide crimes committed in Darfur”

On Sunday, February 20th, I joined a dedicated group of American activists from diverse faiths, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, that united to protest in front of the Sudanese embassy in Washington D.C.   We were there to call for an end to the systematic violence against civilians in Darfur. For each month in the past four years, the Darfur Interfaith Network (D.I.N.) has come to stand with the victims of genocide in Darfur and support the right of self-determination for the people of South Sudan.  On the Sunday that I attended, the group celebrated the peaceful completion of the South Sudan Referendum and called on the United States government and international community to turn their attention to the escalation of violence in Darfur.

Laura Katz Cutler, the founder of D.I.N. said, “We have been doing this for four years, and will never, ever stop until the genocide victims in Darfur are freed and they can live in peace and with dignity. We are committed to stand here every third Sunday of the month to tell our government that the war in Darfur is not over and it is too early to normalize relations with Khartoum or lift sanctions or remove their name from the state sponsors of the terrorism list, while the genocide is ongoing in Darfur.”

I shared with the activists the heartbreaking news about the current situation in Darfur, including the continued attacks against civilians, which killed over 2,300 Darfuris and displaced over 300,000 more, and the increased cases of sexual violence that are being reported nearly every day. December’s indiscriminate bombings in Jebel Marra, Thabit, Shangle Tobai, and many more areas in North and South Darfur displaced over 40,000 people and left thousands without critical aid. Unfortunately, the UNAMID troops that are there to protect civilians are hogtied by the Sudanese government’s obstructionism and the unwillingness of the international community to hold Khartoum accountable.  I told the group “Sadly, despite the devastation and the tragic situation for our people in Darfur, the Obama administration announced its plan to normalize relations with the al-Bashir regime and to take Sudan’s name off the list of the state sponsors of terrorism.”

Jimmy Mula, the President of Voices for Sudan and originally from South Sudan, said “We are grateful that the referendum went peacefully, however our task has not yet been completed as long as Darfur is still burning and the indicted president is still dictating over the Sudanese people affairs. The time has not yet come for America to normalize relations; we must write to the Obama Administration to tell him that we are against the normalization with Bashir and that his policy toward normalization should be revisited.” Mohamed Yahya, a Darfuri American and the Executive Director of Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy, stated, “It’s very unfortunate that this great country is planning to reward the regime that killed millions of people, in both the civil war in South Sudan and the current genocide in Darfur.  It’s known to the world that he has been indicted for genocide, and shame on us, the American people, if we can’t tell our government not to do so”.

Miss Katz Cutler said, ”From what we have seen in the recent developments in the Middle East and North Africa, it’s proven that only the will of people can remain the power that can bring the change. Therefore there is no reason for us not to continue support the will of the people of Darfur to live in peace.”

At the end of the vigil, we gathered and prayed together and reiterated our commitment to continue to do whatever it takes to stand with the victims of the Darfur genocide. I left with much hope and energy.

I am convinced that the promise of “Never Again” can only become reality if ordinary citizens work for it. Groups like the Darfur Interfaith Vigil are not hesitant to tell their government and the world that they demand that President al-Bashir be held accountable for the crimes against humanity and genocide.

I believe that those of us who are lucky to have escaped the ongoing genocide in Darfur are obliged to be the voice for our people who have been oppressed and silenced. We must stand firm, build strong alliances with all people of conscience to fight against genocide and mass atrocities everywhere, and continue to defend the rights of all the oppressed and their equal access to justice and human rights.

Niemat Ahmadi, Diaspora Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator, Genocide Intervention Network/Save Darfur Coalition

About http://www.hope4darfurmarch.org/darfur-interfaith-network

Tags:
Posted in Activism, Activist Stories, African Union, Bush Administration, Congress, Darfur, Darfuri Stories, Emerging Crises, Events, Faith, genocide prevention, Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid, ICC / Justice, IDP Camps, Media, Obama Administration, Omar al-Bashir, Peace Process, Peacekeeping, Referendum, South Sudan, United Nations, Violence Against Women | No Comments »

Bookmark and Share

Historic Day for Sudanese People, Tensions Remain

Monday, February 7th, 2011

Reuters Photo: Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and General Salva Kiir (L), first vice-president of Sudan and governor of Southern Sudan, is seen at the presidential palace in Khartoum in this video frame grab taken February 7, 2011.

Today’s announcement by the South Sudan Referendum Commission confirming  that 98.83 percent of southerners voted for independence, is an historical accomplishment.  It marks the official end of the referendum process and the informal beginning of the post-referendum period.  Acceptance of the results by Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir adds further confidence that southern independence will be realized.

The Genocide Intervention Network/Save Darfur Coalition today congratulated the people of Sudan, but urged sustained U.S. and international attention to the interim period before South Sudan’s official independence in July. Many tensions will have to be addressed before the vision of a peaceful separation can be realized.  In the time between now and official independence on July 9th a host of post-referendum issues remain to be resolved and preparations must be made for the effective emergence of two new states, one in the north and one in the south.  Already there are troubling signs in both. (more…)

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Human Rights, IDP Camps, Omar al-Bashir, Referendum, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Bookmark and Share

President Obama: This Is No Time to Let up on Sudan

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Cross posted from the Huffington Post.

Omar al-Bashir at the 12th A.U. Summit

The referendum on independence for Southern Sudan has come off with minimal violence, and it seems that Sudan’s president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir will accept the inevitable outcome: Southern secession.  The Obama administration is rightfully pleased with how the referendum has been carried out, but this is not the time to let up. A peaceful resolution to the North-South conflict may be possible, but there are many issues that are not yet resolved, and the situation in Darfur remains unstable and threatening to those living there in camps for displaced persons. We must urge the White House to stay engaged.

Some in the West, such as The Guardian’s Simon Tisdall, have proclaimed that “Sudan’s rehabilitation has begun.”  Tisdall seems so sanguine, in fact, that he even implies that “setting the much misunderstood Darfur situation to one side,” Bashir is not really the bad actor that “rightwing American” activists portray him to be.

With all due respect to Tisdall, I ask: What?

Is there anything to be misunderstood about the organized slaughter in Darfur of as many as 450,000 men, women and children, the rape of tens of thousands of women and girls, the displacement of millions and the undermining of humanitarian groups trying to get them food, water and medicine?  And how should we interpret the intense and sporadic outbreaks of new violence in that area in the last several weeks?

Is genocide something we can paper over as Tisdall suggests?

(more…)

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Activism, Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid, IDP Camps, Obama Administration, Referendum | 1 Comment »

Bookmark and Share

Sudanese Government Troops Threaten UN Peacekeepers and IDPs

Friday, January 28th, 2011

On Wednesday, 200 Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers surrounded a UNAMID team site and a makeshift internally displaced persons (IDP) camp at Shangil Tobaya, South Darfur. The SAF commander claimed to be carrying out their duties to return the civilians back to their original camps and villages. The civilians had fled to this UNAMID site and several others to seek protection from recent attacks that displaced over 40,000 Darfuri civilians in December as a result of the government’s aerial bombardments of villages as well as clashes between the SAF and rebel groups.

UNAMID rapid assessment mission in Shangil Tobaya, after recent clashes in December Picture: UNAMID - Olivier Chassot

According to UNAMID, the SAF commander then threatened to burn down the camp and mission’s team site if the peacekeepers.  Fortunately, UNAMID stood its ground and the government troops withdrew. While UNAMID has not shown consistent effectiveness in carrying out its Chapter VII mandate through the use of necessary force to protect civilians, peacekeepers at this team site put themselves at extreme risk to protect Darfuri civilians.

The return of IDP’s, which the SAF attempted to carry out on Wednesday, is a major piece of the Government of Sudan’s strategy for Darfur. The government claims that there are only pockets of insecurity in Sudan and that IDP’s should begin to return home. However, the situation in Darfur is far from stable and is not conducive for the return of displaced civilians. Beyond security, many of villages have been destroyed and IDP property may be occupied by Arab settlers. There are two likely motives behind the Khartoum’s push for the returns of IDPs: the government views many of these IDP camps as a source of rebel support and activity; also, if the IDP’s were to be resettled they would lose their claim to their original homelands. Currently over 2.7 million civilians, 1/3rd of the population in Darfur, live in IDP camps and over 300,000 were displaced this year alone.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in IDP Camps | 1 Comment »

Bookmark and Share

Keep your eyes on Darfur

Friday, January 14th, 2011

Ambassador Dane Smith

In a letter to Ambassador Dane Smith, the newly appointed U.S. Senior Advisor for Darfur, Darfuri diaspora civil society leaders stated: “With the international communities’ focus on referendum for independence in South Sudan, Darfur has been largely overlooked and Omar Al-Basher’s regime has taken the opportunity to further oppress Darfuri civil society and initiate attacks against civilians.”

Today the situation in Darfur is gravely dangerous; with over 4 million people affected by war and depending completely on food aid for almost 8 years. The majority of whom have been internally displaced and remain subject to the direct attacks, abduction, arrest, rape and the deprivation of food, rape of women and girls and sadly their fate is left to be determined by the indicted genocidal criminal Al-Basher.

The escalation of attacks by the Janjaweed and the government army has been increasing since March 2010 after the renewal of fighting between the government and the Darfuri movements. The obstruction of aid assistance and the systematic targeting of the Darfur human right defenders and the civil society activists everywhere in Sudan is dramatically increasing and has brought a new dimension to the tragic situation that our people are living in.

Over the past few months in Darfur there have been several reports of violent attacks by the Government of Sudan (GoS) against the innocent civilians such as the recent attack on Khor Abeche which set off a renewal of fighting in December between the government and the Darfur rebel groups. The aerial bombing of villages by Khartoum  and fighting between the government and rebels has resulted in displacement of over 32,000 civilians in December and an estimated 300,000 in 2010 alone, most of whom are left with no access to humanitarian assistance.

Darfuri diaspora rally at the United Nations in 2009

While the government rhetorically claims to be dedicated towards peace negotiations with the Darfuri movements, they have repeatedly violated all the ceasefire agreements; furthermore they have reignited the conflict with SLA-Minni Minawi, the only faction to have signed a peace agreement with GoS. They have also withdrawn their negotiating team from Doha peace talks on December 30th which itself not only shows the lack of commitment to peace, but further undermines the authority of the mediation, the venue and the host country. The government also continues to deny access for humanitarian organizations and UNAMID, which has limited their ability to reach the affected populations particularly in Jebel Marra and the recently displaced from Shangil Tobai, Dar el Salam, and Khor Abeche areas which have limited their ability to provide supplies and security for Darfuri civilians. This demonstrates that the government is acting with total impunity because of lack of serious accountability measures and pressure from the international community including the United States. The lack of and the poor aid conditions is overwhelming in all of the camps in Darfur due to the government restriction since the March 2009 expulsion of the major aid organizations.

(more…)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Human Rights, ICC / Justice, IDP Camps, Violence Against Women | No Comments »

Bookmark and Share

Renewed Displacement in Darfur

Friday, December 24th, 2010

The United Nations is reporting that at least 32,000 civilians have been displaced in Darfur in the past week.  This follows on the heels of reports of renewed violence between SLA-Minni Minawi forces and Sudanese armed forces.

From the U.N.:

The number of displaced persons shelting outside three UNAMID team sites in South Darfur after the recent outbreak of fighting last week has been revised after consultations with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UNAMID’s Humanitarian Liaison office and peacekeepers on the ground.

It is now believed that there are over 18,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in and around the Khor Abeche area, including 5,000 and 3,000 reportedly displaced in Negaha and Shaeria respectively.

Approximately 14,000 people have been displaced in and around Shangil Tobaya. Peacekeepers estimate the number of IDPs around the team site there to be between three and four thousand.

All three team sites have been providing water and limited medical assistance to the IDPs and are requesting urgent humanitarian support.

The Mission continues to work with aid groups and government officials to try to secure safe access for aid workers. UNAMID peacekeepers have increased their presence on the ground to ensure the protection of these displaced persons.

Tags: , ,
Posted in IDP Camps | No Comments »

Bookmark and Share

Thousands of Civilians Displaced in Darfur

Monday, December 20th, 2010

Zam Zam Camp February 2010

This weekend Reuters reported an attack in Darfur that displaced 12,000 civilians.

Sudan’s army has clashed with insurgents in the South Darfur village of Khor Abeche at least three times this month, drawing sharp criticism from U.N. envoys.

“The Mission has noticed that approximately 12,000 people fled the area and are moving toward Shangil Tobaya and Zam Zam internally displaced persons camp, near El Fasher, North Darfur,” said Darfur’s UNAMID peacekeepers in a statement.

Another news report carried a sharp response from the White House in Washington:

Mike Hammer, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, said Sudanese authorities have the responsibility to protect its citizens, condemning the attack in the strongest terms.

“The United States is deeply concerned about reports that the Sudanese armed forces attacked and burnt the village of Khor Abeche in South Darfur,” he said in a statement.

Save Darfur is closely monitoring this situation and condemns acts of violence against civilians by any party.  It appears that clashes between Sudanese armed forces and the rebel faction led by Minni Minawi led to this displacement.

Thinking of thousands of civilians fleeing north to Shangil Tobaya and Zam Zam camps hits home for me since I traveled to this area in February 2010 on a human rights assessment and met the tribal leaders of Zam Zam camp.  At the time, SLA-Minni Minawi forces were protecting Zam Zam camp in cooperation with UNAMID police forces based in El Fasher.  This was the one camp I visited (compared to 5 others) where the the IDP’s thought UNAMID was doing a good job of protection.  Now, with increasing violence between the SLA- Minni Minawi forces and the Government of Sudan forces, I fear for the safety of this camp where over 100,000 IDPs reside.

I took this photo of Zam Zam camp on a trip to Darfur in February 2010.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in IDP Camps, Media, Peacekeeping | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Donate Now to the Save Darfur Coalition

Twitter Feed

 Subscribe in a reader