Help us stop the killing in Darfur, Sudan
From Amnesty USA:
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Where were you when you first learned about the genocide in Rwanda that claimed nearly a million innocent lives? I am guessing that most of you remember the horror of a slaughter taking place under our noses, barely a decade ago.Perhaps you saw Hotel Rwanda recently – which once again brought the magnitude of the tragedy home to us. And remember how determined we were that this would never be allowed to happen again.
And yet, scarcely 1,000 miles due north of the Rwandan killing fields, it is happening – and we must do all in our power to stop it.
The Darfur region of Sudan, an area the size of Texas, has been the scene of unspeakable crimes against humanity – towns razed, women raped and murdered as their children watch on, millions driven to exile, and hundreds of thousands of families slaughtered.
Please act now – help us stop the killing by making an emergency donation to our Darfur mobilization.Perpetrators of the Darfur atrocities are nomadic militias called janjawid – literally, “evil men on horseback.” Amnesty has documented ongoing support, including transfers of guns and other weapons and even aerial bombing, by the Sudanese government.
Amnesty and other human rights organizations have been working day and night to arouse public outrage and pressure the UN and key governments to take action. Earlier this month, in fact, after a major international pressure campaign led in part by Amnesty, the U.S. government relented and allowed the UN Security Council to refer cases of human rights abuse in Darfur to the new International Criminal Court (ICC). The current Administration has opposed the ICC in the past, purely on ideological grounds.
But the deaths continue – and we must do more.
The Sudanese government has responded to the UN by vowing to defy it – including a flat refusal to turn over any of its citizens to the ICC for prosecution. Meanwhile, action on Sudan is being hampered by global business as usual. Russia continues to sell arms to the Sudanese government, many of which find their way to the Darfur killing fields. China has been especially slow to react, in part to protect its lucrative oil contracts with Khartoum.
And while the community of nations dither, the violence continues -- with more and more civilians being killed or driven from their homes and villages in Darfur, despite the government’s promises to maintain a ceasefire.
As Americans and human rights activists we cannot let this unspeakable violence continue without doing everything in our power to stop it.
Please act now – help us stop the killing by making an emergency donation to our Darfur mobilization