Darfur Update

Below are two recent e-mails I got from Mark Lotwis and Suzie Armstrong of the Save Darfur Coalition, which I think merit posting.
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Dear Gary,

Violence is increasing in Darfur in the wake of Bashir's fraudulent election.

Please help us stop it.

Donate by June 30th – every minute matters!

Alarming news from Darfur: violence claimed almost 600 lives in May –– more than any other month since U.N. peacekeepers arrived in 2008.

Save Darfur needs your help by June 30th to launch an intensified advocacy campaign to stop this rising tide of violence. Stand with us by making a donation today.

In April, dictator Omar al-Bashir claimed victory in Sudan's fraudulent elections. While the world has looked away, he has been emboldened in his efforts to crack down on all who oppose him. The REAL results of the election are harassment and imprisonment of Bashir's critics, more clashes between rebel groups and the government, new aerial bombing over Darfur, and rising civilian casualties.

PLEASE donate today and help us reverse the deteriorating situation in Darfur and Sudan.

With your donation, we will:


Keep in daily contact with Sudanese on the ground, obtaining and publicizing information about the rapidly changing situation.
Put more pressure on President Obama and his Sudan Envoy Scott Gration to speak out forcefully, calling on Bashir and rebel leaders to end the violence or face significant consequences.
Call on U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice to lead the charge to renew the authorization of Darfur's peacekeeping force.
Communicate regularly with key Sudanese civil society groups to closely monitor the situation and coordinate efforts.
Support efforts by the International Criminal Court to bring President Bashir and other perpetrators of the genocide to justice, once and for all.
Conduct a 30-day rapid response earned media blitz to sound the alarms in newspapers and television stations around the country.

According to a United Nations report, there is a total lack of humanitarian access to the conflict-ridden areas in Darfur. Thousands more men, women, and children are in imminent danger.

Please give by June 30th – every moment we wait could cost countless lives.

The people of Darfur and all Sudan are depending on you.

Sincerely,

Suzie Armstrong
Save Darfur Coalition



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The Save Darfur Coalition – an alliance of more than 190 faith-based, advocacy and human rights organizations – raises public awareness about the ongoing crisis in Darfur and mobilizes a unified response to promote peace throughout the Darfur region and all of Sudan. The coalition's member organizations represent 130 million people of all ages, races, religions and political affiliations united together to help the people of Sudan. Please join the movement at http://www.SaveDarfur.org.
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Dear gary,


Children in Abu Shouk Camp

Just three short months ago, I visited six Darfuri camps, the only homes many children in Darfur have ever known.

As I spoke with those children's parents about the grinding day-to-day life in Darfur, I was inspired by their hope for the future and the smiles of their children. Every day, I wake up and remember those children and know that we must continue our work to help ensure their future. From that trip I was reassured that what we do to help bring peace, protection and justice to their lives matters.

In the last few months, we've had some success, but conditions in Sudan are slipping backward.

Most recently, we asked Vice President Biden to make Sudan a priority on his recent trip to Africa - and he did, holding high level talks with leaders in Egypt, Kenya and South Africa.

Following our intense election campaign - we delivered over 72,000 activists signatures on a petition to President Obama to make sure the US did not legitimize Sudan's nationwide election - U.S. Assistant Secretary of State P.J. Crowley declared that "this was not a free and fair election."

But despite its fraudulent basis, the election has emboldened Sudan's dictator Omar al-Bashir, and his regime has begun a new crackdown to silence human rights activists and civil society leaders by increasing arbitrary arrests, beatings, torture, restricting speech and increasing censorship, and seizing passports to keep activists from attending international events.

Furthermore, the peace negotiations between key Darfur rebel groups and the government have broken down, and armed conflict has begun anew. Sadly, the month of May became the deadliest month in Darfur since the arrival of UN peacekeepers - nearly 600 lives were lost.

Now, Sudan is just seven months away from holding a referendum to determine whether South Sudan will become an independent nation - and most agree that the south will vote to break away. Fears are rising that if key agreements between the North and South on sharing oil revenue, border demarcation, and citizenship are not completed before the referendum, a return to deadly civil war could result.

In the coming months we will monitor the rapidly changing situation on the ground in Sudan. We will continue to pressure President Obama, Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Clinton and others to lead the world in efforts to stop the violence in Darfur and bring all parties to the peace table, or call out Bashir and rebel leaders if they do not. We will also urge the United States to lead the international community in preparing for the upcoming referendum on Southern Sudanese independence.

We will call on Ambassador Susan Rice to lead the charge to renew Darfur's peacekeeping force, support all efforts to bring Bashir and other perpetrators of the genocide to justice, and make sure that Sudanese civil society voices are being heard around the world.

Thinking back to my visit to Darfur, I recall one camp leader who asked us to "keep on working to raise your voice for all IDPs."

I, for one, am motivated now more than ever to keep raising my voice on behalf of the millions in Darfur who want justice, peace, and security.

Please know that your efforts are making an impact for the children of Sudan, and are joined with the Sudanese who hope and struggle every day for peace and justice in Sudan.

Thank you again for your continued support.

My best,

Mark Lotwis
Acting President, Save Darfur Coalition



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Support the Save Darfur Coalition's crucial advocacy programs to build the political pressure needed to end the crisis in Darfur and ensure the people of Sudan are not silenced by a rigged election. Click here now to make a secure, tax-deductible online donation.