Staring Genocide in the Face

For my video about the genocide in Darfur, I wanted to bring a face to the violence that is taking place. Watching this video you can see with your own eyes what you have been hearing about for five years now. People are dying from murder, malnutrition, and starvation because of the goverment sponsored killing campaign. It’s easy to read the news and continue on with your day, but coming face to face with the people makes it harder to ignore. They have fled their homes to escape the brutal attacks, with their future unknown. The time to act is now, because  lives can still be saved. There is no question that this genocide must stop but the when and how you can put in your hands. The face of genocide has no requirements, it is the men, women, children, and babies left to fend for themselves, it is everyone. After watching this video, and staring into their faces I hope you feel moved to take action and realize it is harder to ignore than you thought.

 

 

Sand and Sorrow

Sand and Sorrow is a new documentary offering exclusive access to the situation in Darfur. It is by the award winning filmmaker Paul Freedman and features George Clooney as the narrator. The movie analyzes the historical events leading up to the government’s killing campaign and displacement of the indigenous peoples. It also examines the failed international efforts now and in the past to provide response to such crimes. From the United States Senate, to Internally Displaced Peoples camps you are brought into the heart of the crisis. The face to face interviews of the people filled with sorrow because they know that help may never come, brings the crisis that much closer to home.

Below is a link showing a film clip from the movie: 

http://www.sandandsorrow.org/viewclips.html

Choppers for Darfur

Back in December of 2007, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon sent a letter to the UN Security Council asking for 24 helicopters, after months of asking governments to lend their aircrafts. These helicopters were for the new UN/African Union peacekeeping force for Darfur signed back in July. This new force is set to have 26,000 members, making it bigger and better equipped than just the African Union alone. But for months no member state had come forward to provide the vital helicopters. It seemed no one could be spared to provide assistance to resolve the peace in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The United States provided the excuse that all their helicopters are tied up in Iraq and Afghanistan, while many other countries whose leader’s have expressed concern over Darfur, didn’t seem to have a ready excuse.

As of April 2008, only 9000 of the 26,000 troops had been deployed. The helicopters are needed to move the troop around in the quickest and most efficient manner. Officials claim that the violence may actually be increasing and the lack of helicopters is only delaying more deployment. One country finally stepped forward, offering only five choppers, but still it is five more than they had.

Here is the article relating to the story:

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL08303897

*Photo of helicopter in Sudan taken by Jan Pronk

Intro

This blog is to raise awareness of the war-ravaged state of Darfur and specifally address the genocide funded by the Sudanese government. Beginning in 2003, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir moved to crush opposition by releasing armed militia to slaughter entire villages of his own citizens. Now, an estimated 400,000 have been killed, and over 2 million refugees have fled their homes. These attacks were originally set forth to challenge two main rebel groups, but no portion of Darfur’s civilian population has been spared the violence, murder, rape, or torture. Imagine not war, but genocide….Imagine Darfur.