Genocide: Crisis in

Darfur

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that

matter.”-Martin Luther King Jr.

Together we stand. Divided

we fall.

How can one

person make a

difference?

On December 9th, 1948, at the National Genocide

Convention, The United Nations promised “never

again” about the horrors of Genocide.

Yet every month over 15,000

people are killed in Darfur,

Sudan

What happened to that

promise?

What is Genocide?

The term “genocide” was derived from the Greek word for race or tribe, “geno,” and the Latin term for killing, “cide,” literally meaning the killing of a specific people. The murder of

an entire ethnic group.

One of the most well-known

genocides was the Holocaust.

Over 6 million Jews were

slaughtered, as well as Poles,

Homosexuals, Afro-Europeans,

Gypsies, the Disabled. However,

atrocities like the Holocaust still

occur today, mainly unnoticed.

Genocides and Mass

Murders

in the 20th CenturyCongo Free State- (Estimated 3- 30 million)

Armenian- (1.5-2 million)

Bosnia- (200,000+)

Cambodia- (1.7- 3 million)

Darfur- (ongoing)

East Timor- (300,000)

Guatemala

India

The Holocaust- (6 million)

Namibia

Rwanda- (500,000- 3 million)

The Serbian genocide

The Ukraine

•Darfur is located in Sudan, a large country, south of Egypt, on the eastern side of Africa.

•Darfur is a region on the west side of Sudan, on the border Chad.

•Population of Sudan: 38 million

•Population of Darfur: 6 million

•Life Expectancy: 58 years

•Nearly 400,000 people have died, about 7% of the population• That’s equal to 60% percent of the population of North Dakota, 75% of the population of Wyoming•2.7 million people are internally displaced, Half of them children• About 120,000 refugees have crossed the border into Chad, a neighboring country

WHERE IS

DARFUR?

This is not a matter of

African starving because of

climate or poor crops

This is genocide because a

government is literally

attacking a group of people

with the intent of wiping

them out.

And, they were poor and

starving to begin with…

Since 2003, in order to consolidate its power, the Sudanese government has been fighting various rebel groups based in Darfur, especially the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA). The government responded by hiring groups of Arab bandits and training them. They were called the “Janjaweed”

which means “Devil on horseback.” The government gave them free reign to get rid of the SLA by any means necessary.

•Rape (Gang and Public)

Violent Beatings

Murder

Abduction

Stealing cattle, personal

possesions, food, clothing

Destroying homes and towns

Burning homes and towns

Destroying water sources

Separating families, shooting

children, Close-range

executions…any means necessary

The means included:

Another tactic commonly used by the Janjaweed

was trickery. They would call out to people

claiming that they would do them no harm.

“We were afraid and wanted to run away,” he said, “but they said:

„No, no. We don‟t want to hurt you. We are the government. Don‟t be

afraid. We are coming to save you.‟”

This map shows the number of villages the JanjaweedDestroyed or Damaged in Sudan

Celebrities, and Their steps to

help Darfur

George Clooney and father Nick Clooney- UN Peace Envoy, and Activist journalist

Mia Farrow- Activist, Unicef ambassador, currently on a 21-day hunger strike to bring attention to Darfur

Elie Wiesel- Speaker on Genocide and advocate for Darfur

Don Cheadle- Co-Author of the book Not on Our Watch

Steven Spielburg- Resigned as artistic adviser in 2008 Olympics in Response to China’s failure in helping Darfur

Angelina Jolie- Ambassador for the UN refugee agency

Matt Damon- Main supporter for “Day for Darfur”

Brad Pitt- Ambassador for the UN refugee agency

However, Things may be turning

around. Just recently the ICC

(International Criminal Court),

brought forth charges on the

president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir

for crimes against Humanity.

If this man is persecuted, the lives of

millions will change and this conflict

could end.

Although the conflict would end, 2.7 million people will still have relocated, away from their homes, their families,

their friends, and neighbors. They will still have been forced to start new lives, with

little more than the clothes on their backs…

400,000People would still

have died

These are the people we need to help.