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“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Where is Darfur?. Underlying Tensions & Dispelling Myths. DARFUR:. MYTH: The crisis in Darfur is an Arab v. African conflict.
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“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Underlying Tensions & Dispelling Myths DARFUR: • MYTH:The crisis in Darfur is an Arab v. African conflict. FACT: “Identity” was more fluid before the conflict; differences have since become exaggerated. • MYTH:It’s a conflict over water resources. FACT: Drought and desertification exasperated tensions between herders and farmers. • MYTH:It’s nothing more than a tribal conflict. FACT: Darfuri rebels are dissatisfied with the government due to Darfur’s geographic, political, economic isolation.
Who’s Involved? ACTORS: • Government of Sudan:led byPresident Omar al-Bashir • Janjaweed Militias:supported by Government of Sudan • Rebel Forces:multiple and fractious, oppose Government of Sudan and Janjaweed militias • International Community: • international organizations: United Nations, African Union • proponents of intervention: US, UK, France, several EU members • reluctant states: China, Russia, South Africa • Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs): • Advocacy groups (Save Darfur Coalition, Genocide Intervention Network, ICG) • Humanitarian groups (Oxfam, RI, IRC) • Human rights organizations (Amnesty International, HRW)
Timeline of a Genocide • Feb. 2003 – Fighting breaks out • Sept. 2004 –U.S. recognizes the crisis as genocide • Nov. 2005 –400,000 dead • April 2006 –50,000 people rally to save Darfur • May 2006 –Attempted peace deal • Sept. 2006 – “Global Day for Darfur”: 57 cities, 41 countries, 6 continents • Jan. 2007 –Attempted cease-fire • May 2007 –International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for 2 people, U.S. announces sanctions against Sudan • July 2007 –U.N. Security Council passes Resolution 1769 • Nov. 2007 –Expulsion of humanitarian official, disagreement over composition of UNAMID, attempted peace talks • May 10, 2008 –JEM rebels attack Sudanese capital in Khartoum • July 14, 2008– International Criminal Court requests arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes including genocide.
What’s Really Happening? STATISTICS: • As many as400,000have been murdered since 2003. • An estimated2.5 millionpeople have been displaced. • Thelargestrefugee population in the world is found in Darfur.
Save Darfur Coalition • 180 member organizations • 130 million people • Goals: - Safety of civilians and aid workers - Humanitarian relief - Accountability - Safe return
What Can You Do? ACTING: • Quick Actions • Become a part of the Save Darfur community • Spread the word • Keep Darfur an important issue in the government • Participate in National Darfur Campaigns • Be a Voice for Darfur postcard campaign • Protection and Security • Dollars for Darfur National School Challenge • Local Organizing for Darfur • Join or start a local advocacy group
our generation united to make a difference? WHAT IF: What if students used online social networks to organize their schools and a national fundraising effort to stop the genocide? "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great; you can be that generation."- Nelson Mandela
Dollars for Darfur: National School Challenge • Visit the official Dollars for Darfur website to start your own group and help end the genocide: www.savedarfur.org/dollarsfordarfur • Dollars for Darfur group pages: Facebook and MySpace • Ask friends from other schools to set up a campaign and join Dollars for Darfur groups
Last Year: Students raised $150,000! Over 400 schools registered on the Dollars for Darfur website This Year: Goal: $200,000 Let’s get 500 schools involved! Your Goal: Raise the most and advocate most effectively out of all the schools! Here’s the Challenge:
Where Does the Money Go? • 50% = humanitarian aid This aid goes directly through organizations working on the ground in the Darfur region. • 50% = Save Darfur Coalitionfor media outreach, public education, targeted coalition building and grassroots mobilization.
Examples of what aid to Darfur can provide: • $35 = Two high-energy meals a day to 200 children • $50 = Vaccinations for 50 people against meningitis, measles, polio or other deadly epidemics • $70 = Two basic suture kits to repair minor shrapnel wounds • $100 = Infection-fighting antibiotics to treat nearly 40 wounded children • $250 = A sterilization kit for syringes and needles used in mobile vaccination campaigns • $500 = A medical kit containing basic drugs, supplies, equipment, and dressings to treat 1,500 patients for three months • $1000 = Emergency medical supplies to aid 5,000 disaster victims for an entire month • $5500 = An emergency health kit to care for 10,000 displaced people for three months
For more information and to be involved visit: www.savedarfur.org/dollarsfordarfur www.savedarfur.org