Marianist Social Justice Collaborative War and Peace Team

Call to Action: Save Darfur

April 6 marks the 11^th anniversary of one of the worst human tragedies: the Rwandan Genocide. A similar situation brews in the Darfur area of Sudan. In memory of Rwanda, the world must not ignore the situation in there and needs to take action immediately.

In February of 2003, the Sudan Liberation Army rebelled against the Sudanese Government due to its failure to recognize the needs of the region. The Darfur region consists mostly of tribal peoples while those in power are mostly Arab. Even though both groups are largely Muslim, the conflict continues to have ethnic undertones.

In order to deal with the conflict, the government employed Arab-militias known as the Janjaweed, loosely translated “devils on horseback.” However, the Janjaweed committed and continue to commit severe violations of human rights. They have terrorized, raped, and killed many in their path. Nevertheless, the government has done little to curtail the efforts of the Janjaweed in spite of international calls to disarm the Janjaweed.

Now, as many as 400,000 people are dead, and more than 2 million refugees need aid. However, in spite of a peace accord in early January 2005 between Sudanese Rebels and the Sudanese Government ending a 20-year conflict, the situation does not get any better, and the fear is it will get worse. Can the world sit and wait knowing these terrible things have happened and continue to happen?

The War and Peace team of the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative is calling for you to take action and help Save Darfur. Recently, the Save Darfur Coalition sponsored an event called “100 Hours to End Genocide.” This event began with a “Minute for Darfur” at 3PM EST, a minute of silence remembering the people of Darfur, and ensued with events to create awareness of the situation and to take action. The War and Peace team is calling you to do the same.

On April 6, 2005, the War and Peace team is asking communities to observe a Minute of Silence at 3PM EST to remember dually the Rwandan Genocide and the Crisis in Darfur. Like the “100 Hours for Genocide,” this minute will begin the call to create awareness and take action.

Many other organizations have developed actions groups can take. Websites such as www.savedarfur.org and www.darfurgenocide.org provide extensive resources and recommendations for actions. However, one specific action the War and Peace team recommends now is to contact directly your United States Senator encouraging support of the Darfur Accountability Act calling for more aid to Darfur and accountability to those who have committed the atrocities there. You can do this by using the following link: http://capwiz.com/africaaction/issues/alert/?alertid=7187406&type=CO

Please help Save Darfur and Take Action Now before it is too late!

For more information and resources, visit the website of the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative at www.msjc.net and click on the War and Peace Section.