Wilkens

History of Genocide

Genocide is defined by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide drafted in 1948. Article 2 of the Convention defines it as: Any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such: Killing members of the group; Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; ...Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

As we are attempting to intervene in ongoing situations and are thus unable to analyze the situation in these legal terms, the Genocide Intervention Network (GI-NET) adopts a broader definition of genocide as the systematic, deliberate killing, severe torture or rape of civilians on a massive scale.

Examples of Genocide in the Past

1. Armenia 2. Holocaust 3. Cambodia 4. Bosnia 5. Rwanda

1. Armenia

Large scale, mass atrocities at a genocidal level occurred when Armenian nationalists demanded greater autonomy under the Ottoman Empire towards the end of the nineteenth century. Veiled from the international community by the chaos of World War I, the Ottoman government intentionally destroyed over 1 million Armenians from 1915 - 1923.

Learn More

History/Background: The roots of the conflict date back to the late 18th century as Armenian nationalists slowly began to demand greater autonomy, becoming a highly politicized minority within the Ottoman Empire. This resulted in a series of massacres by the Ottoman Sultan from 1894 to 1896 where an estimated 200,000 Armenians perished. In the early 20th century, an uprising by a group known as the Young Turks took over the Ottoman Empire and continued to harass and discriminate against the Christian Armenians. This harrassement led to another massacre in the town of Adana in 1909. The lack of international concern and the outbreak of World War I gave Ottoman officials cover to further harm the Armenians.

Dynamics of the Genocide: The genocide took place in four stages. First, in early 1915, the Ottoman government recruited able-bodied men between ages 20-45 into the army to serve as laborers, where many were later executed. Then, in April 1915, the date when the Armenian community commemorates the genocide, prominent community figures were rounded up and deported or executed. In May, the remaining Armenian population was deported, under the pretext of their resettlement in the desert. After this, during the fourth stage, were ordered to eliminate the remnants of the uprooted population. Up to 1.5 million people out of a prewar population of 1.8 million died as the result of the massacres and deportations. An alleged 100,000 Armenian women were forced to convert to Islam.

After the war, the Allied powers made empty promises to both investigate and prosecute all crimes committed against the Armenians and the government of the newly formed Republic of Turkey allowed the military to conduct a series of court-martials of governmental officials complicit in the genocide. Unfortunately these judicial measures would not deter future atrocities as in 1939, Hitler infamously said, “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”

Audio/Video: “Lessons From the Armenian Genocide and America’s Response,” an interview with Peter Balakian, author of Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response on Jerry Fowler’s Voices on Preventing Genocide; A clip from the feature film Innocents Betrayed, Armgate. The Betrayed: A BBC News Documentary

Feature Films: The Armenian Genocide (Documentary, 2006) Screamers (Documentary, 2006); The Handjian Story: A Road Less Traveled (Documentary, 2002)

Links: History of Armenia; Armenian National Institute; Armenian National Committee of America; Armenian Genocide Museum

Books: Balakian, Peter. The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response; Bedoukian, Kerop. Some of Us Survived: the Story of an Armenian Boy; Dadrian, Vahakn. The History of the Armenian Genocide: Ethnic Conflcit from the Balkans to Anatolia to the Caucasus; Davis, Leslie A. The Slaughterhouse Province: An American Diplomat’s Report on the Armenian Genocide, 1915-1917; Hartunian, H. Abraham. Neither to Laugh nor to Weep: A Memoir of the Armenian Genocide; Kalajian, Hannah. Hannah’s Story: Escape from the Genocide in Turkey to Success in America; Ketchian, Bertha A. In the Shadow of the Fortress: the Genocide Remembered; Morgenthau, Henry. Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story; Simpson, Christopher. The Splendid Blond Beast: Money, Law, and Genocide in the Twentieth Century; Temon, Yves. The Armenians: History of a Genocide.

Back to menu of past genocides

2. Holocaust

As Adolf Hitler's Nationalist Socialist regime pursued its policies of Aryan supremacism, Germany began to eliminate all "undesirable" races: the Jews, the Slavs, gypsies, political and religious dissidents, homosexuals and the disabled. Businesses were looted, targeted populations were deported en masse to concentration camps and, ultimately, 6 million Jews and 5 million "undesirables" lost their lives in a series of targeted exterminations and massacres that still haunts the minds of survivors today.

Learn More

History/ Background: After Germany's defeat in World War I, the Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to pay huge reparations, which led to massive inflation and economic depression. Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist Party rose to power in 1933, providing the German people with a scapegoat for the country's woes: the Jews. Hitler instilled the belief that the German Aryan race was superior to all others and the only way to ensure the Aryan’s lebensraum (room for living) was to eliminate all the inferior and undesirable races: the Jews, Slavs, gypsies, political and religious dissidents, homosexuals and the disabled. In 1935, the Nuremburg Laws were passed stripping German Jews of their citizenship and calling for their deportation. The first concentration camps were soon established for Jews, communists, and political prisoners, where inmates were forced to labor under harsh conditions.

Dynamics of the Genocide: Many date the beginning of the Holocaust to Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass), November 9 and 10, 1938, when Jewish-owned businesses and synagogues were looted. Massacres and mass deportations to concentration camps began shortly thereafter. Conquests in the early part of World War II brought an even greater number of Jews under German control. These Jews were crammed into ghettos, deprived of rights and property and massacred by killing squads. Within 18 months, approximately 1.3 million Jews in occupied Poland and the Soviet Union were killed. In January 1942, the Nazis formulated "The Final Solution" to exterminate all European Jews. New gassing facilities were constructed in three concentration camps in Poland and two additional death camps were built near the Polish town of Auschwitz. Soon Jews from all over Europe were being forced into cattle cars destined for one of the camps that could gas thousands of Jews a day. Gassing, starvation, or disease killed millions over the next three years. The true magnitude of the genocide, now known as the Holocaust, only became known to the world after the camps were liberated by Allied forces in 1945. Within seven years, 6 million Jews and 5 million “undesirables” lost their lives. In 1946, the Nuremburg Tribunal was established to try the perpetrators of the genocide for their crimes. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which provided a working definition for the newly coined term “genocide” and made it a crime under international law, was adopted in 1948. The Fourth Geneva Convention was enacted in 1949, mandating the protection of civilians, in the hands of an enemy or under foreign occupation, during times of war.

Audio/Video: Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Living Histories: Seven Voices from the Holocaust, USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education.

Feature Films: Schindler's List; The Pianist; Escape from Sobibór; Europa, Europa; Shanghai Ghetto

Links: Museum of Tolerance Learning Center; United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education; Yad Vashem

Books: Berenbau, Michael. The World Must Know; Browning, Christopher R. Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland; Frank, Anne. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Kovaly, Heda. Under a Cruel Star; Levi, Primo. If This is a Man and Survival in Auschwitz; Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars; Matas, Carol. Daniel’s Story; Spiegelman, Art. Maus: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History and Maus II: A Survivor’s Tale: and Here My Troubles Began; Trunk, Isaiah. Lodz Ghetto: a History; Wiesel, Elie. Night; Yolen, Jane. The Devil’s Arithmetic.

Back to menu of past genocides

3. Cambodia

After the Khmer Rouge took control of the Cambodian government in 1975, they began to target any opposition to their authoritarian regime. All opposition to the regime was exterminated in a genocidal campaign which took place between 1975 and 1979, where over 2 million Cambodians were brutally killed.

Learn More

History/ Background: In 1970, a military coup resulted in the overthrowing of Prince Sihanouk and the instauration of a right-wing government led by lieutenant-general Lon Nol. Under Prince Sihanouk, Cambodia managed to preserve its neutrality in neighboring Vietnam's civil war by making concessions to both sides. The new government, however, sided with the United States and allowed US forces to openly enter and bombard parts of Cambodia in its efforts to defeat the Vietcong. This collaboration with the United States led to growing dissatisfaction among the Cambodian population, strengthening the left-wing Khmer Rouge movement. By 1975, the war had exhausted the Cambodian government and the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, were able to seize control of the capital, Phenom Penh, and declare the beginning of a new era: Year Zero.

Dynamics of the Genocide: After seizing power the Khmer Rouge outlawed the family, education, religion, books, healthcare, holidays, art, music, markets, and technology. Hundreds of thousands of individuals were ordered to evacuate the cities because the Khmer Rouge saw urban dwellers as the enemy of the peasant-oriented society that it intended to create. Newly resettled into the countryside, Cambodians were ordered to produce an impossible 1 ton of grain per acre. Rice paddies became known as “killing fields” because of the strenuous working conditions. Expendable citizens were forced to work 12 hour days without adequate food or rest. Those who could not keep up with the Khmer Rouge's demands were forced to dig their own graves and then executed. Political prisoners were held in special detention centers and tortured till they gave elaborate, false confessions with electric shocks, hot metal prods, and knives before being killed. Between 1975 and 1979, nearly 2 million Cambodians died. Ethnic tensions increased between Vietnam and Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge's reign, culminating in the expulsion of ethnic Vietnamese from Cambodia. On Christmas Day 1978, 100,000 Vietnamese troops invaded Cambodia in response to the Khmer Rouge's treatment of its Vietnamese citizens. The Vietnamese army reached Phnom Penh by January 7, 1979, installing a new pro-Vietnamese government, ending the most brutal portions of the genocide. In 2003, the UN reached a draft agreement with the Cambodian government to establish an international criminal tribunal for former Khmer Rouge leaders. That tribunal's prosecutors identified five potential defendants in July 2007.

Audio/Video: Cambodia Khmer Rouge 1975 to 1979 Note: The following video is slightly graphic and may not be appropriate for young viewers. Khmer Rouge Video

Feature Films: The Killing Fields (Drama, 1984) The Rice People (Drama, 1994) S21 The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine (Documentary, 2002)

Links: Cambodian Genocide Program, Yale University; Digital Archive of Cambodian Holocaust Survivors Cambodian Genocide Group From Sideshow to Genocide: Stories of the Cambodian Holocaust The Dith Pran Holocaust Awareness Project, Inc.

Books: Chandler, David. Brother Number One: A Political Biography of Pol Pot; Etcheson, Craig. After the Killing Fields: lessons from the Cambodian Genocide; Fifield, Adam. A Blessing Over Ashes: The Remarkable Odyssey of My Unlikely Brother; Him, Chanrithy. When The Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge; Jarvis, Helen and Tom Fawthrop. Getting Away with Genocide: Cambodia’s Long Struggle Against the Khmer Rouge; Kiernan, Ben. Genocide and Democracy in Cambodia: the Khmer Rouge, the United Nations, and the International Community; Kiernan, Ben. The Pol Pot Regime; Maguire, Peter. Facing Death in Cambodia; Oeur, U. Sam. Sacred Vows; Pran, Dith. Children of Cambodia’s Killing Fields: Memoirs by Survivors; Ung, Loung. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers.

Back to menu of past genocides

4. Bosnia

After the death of Josip Tito, Yugoslavia's authoritarian leader, a combination of nationalist politics, post-communist tensions and militarization, sparked a civil war between the Croatian, Serbian and Bosniak residents of the Yugoslav Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The brutal fighting was marked by the ethnic cleansing of much of the country, including attempts to integrate parts of the republic into a "Greater Serbia." The level and type of violence committed against civilians can be classified as reaching a genocidal level. During the Bosnian Civil Wars from 1992 to 1995, between 96,895 and 200,000 people are estimated to have been killed, starved or tortured to death, with a recent University of Washington - Harvard University study citing 167,000 deaths.

History/ Background: In the late 1980's and early 1990's Bosnia and Herzegovina turned from a peaceful, pluralist society to one split between three, distinct ethnic groups: Bosnian-Serbs, Bosnian-Croats, and Bosnian-Muslims. A long history of outside colonization and a rise in nationalist political parties further polarized ethnic groups. This surge of nationalism led to the ideas of a “Greater Serbia” and a “Greater Croatia” and sparked the explosion of a three-sided civil war, particularly as Bosnia and Herzegovina declared its independence in 1992. Concerned about spillovers of violence, the European Community held a number of conferences to resolve the conflict by dividing up the country into different areas, controlled by a different ethnic group. Unfortunately, these strategies only aggravated tensions further. As war broke out, Serb and Croat armies attempted to ethnically cleanse strategic regions of Bosnia for the purposes of achieving their “Greater Serbia” and “Greater Croatia.”

Dynamics of the Genocide: Though many argue that atrocities of Bosnian Croats against Muslims also can qualify as genocidal, it is widely agreed upon that Bosnian Serbs particularly targeted Muslim Bosniaks. Not only were there brutal murders, but Serbian concentration camps targeted the Muslim and Croat populations. Torture, rape, and other human rights violations were committed on a daily basis. One incident in particular exemplifies the scale of ethnic hatred that characterized the Bosnian genocide. In July 1995, Serb troops besieged the town of Srebrenica, a "UN safe area," limiting the access of 40,000 Muslim inhabitants to food, water and supplies, while repeatedly shelling the city. The UN soldiers safeguarding the town could do little: they were poorly equipped and had no back-up. After the Bosnian Serbs took control of Srebrenica, up to 7,500 men, and boys over 13 years old, were killed. Thousands of the bodies were buried in mass graves.

Video: Bosnia genocide victims buried, The Real News Network on YouTube.

Feature Films: De Enclave (TV Series, Drama, 2002) Grbavica (Drama, 2006) Savior (Drama, 1998)

Links: The Balkans, Montreal Institute for Genocide Studies; International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia; Genocide- Bosnia, Peace Pledge Union Information.

Books: Anzulovic, Branimir. Heavenly Serbia: From Myth to Genocide; Bass, Gary J. Stay the Hand of Vengeance: The Politics of War Crimes Tribunals; Gallagher, Tom. The Balkans after the Cold War: from tyranny to tragedy; Koff, Clea. The Bone Woman; Mestrovic, Stjepan. Genocide after Emotion: The Postemotional Balkan War; Mills, Nicolaus and Kira Brunner. The New Killing Fields; Naimark, Norman Fires of Hatred: Ethnic Cleansing in Twentieth Century Europe; Neuffer, Elizabeth. The Key to My Neighbor’s House; Ron, James. Frontiers and ghettos: state violence in Serbia and Israel; Sadkovich, James J. The US Media and Yugoslavia, 1991-1995; Scharf, Michael P. Slobadon Milosevic on trial: a companion; Thomas, Raju C.G. Yugoslavia unraveled: sovereignty, self-determination, intervention; Vulliamy, Ed. Middle Managers of Genocide; Stone, Marla. Bosnia’s Untenable Peace.

Back to menu of past genocides

5. Rwanda

Tensions in Rwanda between the once-dominant minority Tutsis and the majority Hutus periodically erupted in anti-Tutsi violence since the Hutus gained power after independence from Belgium in 1962. After a civil war between exiled Tutsi rebels and the Hutu government ended in a ceasefire and power-sharing agreement, Hutu extremists within and outside the government began to prepare a Tutsi extermination campaign. On April 6, 1994, the Hutu President's plane was shot down, which touched off a genocide that killed 800,000 to 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 100 days.

History/ Background: When the Belgians took control of Rwanda from Germany after World War I, they found a centrally organized, highly stratified society divided into two main groups, the Hutu and the Tutsi. The Tutsi are a minority group of predominantly upper-class cattle owners and the Hutu are the predominantly lower-class, farming majority. The Belgians decided to utilize the ruling structure which was already in place, giving Tutsis power, education and wealth. To distinguish between the groups, the Belgians issued identity cards for the first time. Hutu resentment began to boil in the 1950s as they issued a manifesto calling for a change in the power structure and formed political parties. In 1959, inter-ethnic violence exploded forcing thousands of Tutsis, including the king, into exile in Uganda where they formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Rwanda became independent in 1962 with a Hutu as president which caused more Tutsis to leave the country. After Tutsi rebels entered the country in 1963, 20,000 Tutsis were killed in the start of a string of anti-Tutsi violence. Juvenal Habyarimana took over Rwanda in a 1973 coup. In 1990, the RPF invaded from Uganda, sparking a six month civil war which was settled by a 1991 ceasefire, the Arusha Accords. Despite the accords, animosities grew deeper between the ethnic groups. A power-sharing agreement was signed between the government and the RPF in 1993 and the UN deployed a small mission, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) to supervise it. The mission, under a Chapter VI mandate, was not allowed to use force. Hutu extremists within and outside the government had nothing to gain from sharing power with the RPF and feared that, once in power, the Tutsis might retaliate as the Hutu had in the 1960s. In late 1993 and early 1994, two Hutu radical political parties—the National Republican Movement for Democracy (MRND) and the Coalition for Defense of the Republic (CRD)—aggressively recruited unemployed young men to fill the ranks of their militias. The militias imported arms from South Africa, Egypt and solicited advice from the French military mission. An estimated 581,000 machetes were sent to Rwanda, enough for every third Hutu male. In January 1994, a Hutu informant came to the commander of UNAMIR, Romeo Dallaire, with information about the arming and training of Hutu militias, their orders to register all Tutsis in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, and a plan to force Belgian troops in UNAMIR to withdraw. The informant also said the militias could kill up to 1,000 Tutsis in 20 minutes. Dallaire sent this information to UN Headquarters in what became known as the “Genocide Fax” calling for immediate action based on the informant’s information, but Headquarters, fearing for the lives of UN troops, told him not to do anything.

Dynamics of the Genocide: On April 6, 1994, the plane carrying the Hutu President Habyarimana and his Burundian counterpart was shot down by a rocket. The assassination was the spark the militias had been waiting for. The military took over the government and extremist Hutu militias called the interhamewe took to the radios, calling for Hutus to start killing the Tutsi “cockroaches”. With assistance from the Presidential Guard, an elite army unit, roadblocks were set up all around Kigali where those carrying a Tutsi identity card were systematically slaughtered as they attempted to flee. The prime minister of the unity government agreed to in the 1993 power-sharing accord along with all other moderate politicians were hunted down and killed during the first few hours of the genocide. The 12 Belgian UN soldiers sent to guard the prime minister were also killed, prompting Belgium to withdraw its 400-man peacekeeping force, the backbone of UNAMIR. Militias soon took to the countryside and, with the help of local Hutu officials and radio broadcasters, were directed to homes, schools or churches where Tutsis had sought refuge. Rape was widely used to torment female victims before they were murdered. In late June, French troops arrived and set themselves up in the southwest of the country. During the first days of the genocide, the Hutu military restarted the civil war with the RPF who, under the command of Paul Kagame, began to make major advances. By July 4, 1994, Kigali was under RPF control, causing almost 2 million Hutu soldiers and civilians alike to flee to the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Tanzania under cover from the French, old allies of the Hutu regime. On July 18, 1994 the RPF, who had now taken control of the entire country, declared the war to be over. A day later they inaugurated their own government of national unity. Between 800,000 and 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus had been slaughtered in just 100 days. In November 1994, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was created in Arusha, Tanzania. Justice has been painfully slow, but has determined that rape is both an act of torture and genocide. Rwandan authorities have arrested thousands of suspected individuals, but lacking the capacity to try them all, have resorted to either gacaca courts (group courts) or releasing prisoners.

Audio/Video: Rwanda: Justice after Genocide, video by Internews.

Feature Films: Hotel Rwanda (Drama, 2004) Beyond the Gates (Drama, 2007) Ghosts of Rwanda (Documentary, 2005) Keepers of Memory: Survivor’s Accounts of the Rwandan Genocide (Documentary, 2005) Sometimes in April (Drama, 2005) Rwanda: Living Forgiveness (Documentary, 2005)

Links: Rwanda: The Wake of a Genocide; Rwanda on the BBC; Reflections on the Genocide in Rwanda, United Nations.

Books: Barnett, Michael. Eyewitness to a Genocide; Chretien, Jean-Pierre. The Great lakes of Africa: Two Thousand Years of History; Dallaire, Romeo. Shake Hands with the Devil; des Forges, Allison Liebhafsky. Leave None to Tell the Story: Genocide in Rwanda; Gourevitch, Phillip. We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Shall be Killed with Our Families; Keane, Fergal. Seasons of Blood: A Rwandan Journey; Hatzfeld, Jean. Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak; Melvern, Linda. A People Betrayed: The Role of the West in Rwanda’s Genocide and Conspiracy to Murder; Neuffer, Elizabeth. The Key to My Neighbor’s House; Rusesabagina, Paul. An Ordinary Man.

Back to menu of past genocides

Return to Educate

» email this page | printer friendly version

Darfur

The first genocide of the twenty-first century has been going on for over 4 years in the Darfur region of Sudan. The government of Sudan has sent its troops and hired militias known as the Janjaweed ("devils on horseback") to systematically destroy the livelihoods of Darfurians by bombing and burning villages, looting any economic resources, and murdering, raping, and torturing innocent civilians. Though government obstruction has prevented the international community from finding concrete statistics on mortality, we know that hundreds of thousands have died and millions have been displaced as a result of the conflict. In just the first few months of 2007, over 140,000 more Darfurians have been displaced according to the United Nations Mission in Sudan. As a result of the massive displacement and violence, refugees have fled en masse to the neighboring countries of Chad and the Central African Republic, where they face additional sources of violence. The violence has not only been targeting Darfurians but also the humanitarian convoys that have been working tirelessly to try to deliver aid.

Click here to get more background on Darfur.

As global citizens we have a responsibility to protect the civilians in Darfur that have been suffering for far too long. On July 31, 2007, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1769 to authorize the deployment of the 26,000-strong United Nations-African Union hybrid force with a Chapter VII mandate that authorizes the use of force. This has been supported by a number of countries around the world including addition to the United States, who unanimously passed Senate Resolution 276, which called for the swift deployment of the hybrid force and for efforts to renew the peace process.

Multimedia

Genocide is not a number. Genocide is the face of a child. Demonstrate the urgency of intervention in Darfur with eyewitness accounts, images, documentaries and other coverage from those who are on the ground.

Note that much of this multimedia is copyrighted by the producer — to reproduce these in any form you must contact the original authors. Much of the material released through Flickr, YouTube and Google Video is available for noncommercial use, but to be safe you should still contact the authors.

Recommended Audio

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Podcasts

Documents

Darfur information sheet with the basics of the situation
Civilian protection funded by the Genocide Intervention Network with contributions from individuals

Images

Images from the anti-genocide movement (latest photos displayed above) — also see GI-Net's images on Flickr
Photos from the Global Days for Darfur events, April 2007 sponsored by the Save Darfur Coalition
"In Darfur, My Camera Was Not Nearly Enough" by Brian Steidle
Darfur Drawn: The Conflict Through Children's Eyes by Human Rights Watch
Child Alert Darfur by UNICEF
Darfur Poster Series from the Committee on Conscience at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
A slideshow of genocide by Mark Brecke
Surviving Darfur photoessay from Time magazine
Sudan Freedom Walk Photos from the Freedom Walk Campaign
Darfur: New Attacks in Chad by Human Rights Watch
Darfur photography by Ryan Spencer Reed
In Sudan, a Million Uprooted by The New York Times
Tragedy in Sudan by The New York Times
Fighting Measles in Darfur by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders)
Images from Darfur by Refugees International
The Forgotten Ones: Darfur Refugees by Zuma Press
Satellite imagery of destruction in Darfur by USAID
Images of Hope from Darfur by Alissa Everett

Audio

Voices on Genocide Prevention podcasts from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
“Have a Hand in Stopping Genocide” interview from EchoRadio

Videos

“Never Again”: The Permanent Anti-Genocide Movement short film by the Genocide Intervention Network (YouTube Video). This video is also available for download in QuickTime (high quality, 40MB) and Windows Media (medium quality, 5MB) files. An older film from April 2005 is also available (Flash). Both films may be shown publicly for free, with credit to the Genocide Intervention Network.
A collection of YouTube videos on Darfur
Crisis Guide: Darfur presentation from the Council on Foreign Relations
Sand and Sorrow feature film by Paul Freedman, narrated by George Clooney
They Turned Our Desert Into Fire feature film by Mark Brecke
Time to Protect: DarfurFast! short film by STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition (YouTube Video), also see MTVu's promotions of an earlier version of the event in 2005 (Windows Media, QuickTime)
Projections short film by a group of New England high school students, in collaboration with the organization Facing History and Ourselves (Google Video)
The Delaying Game animation by Mark Fiore (Flash)
In Your Eyes Only Sadness slideshow with music by Abby Kaplan (YouTube)
On the March! animation by Mark Fiore (Flash)
A New Sudan short film by Kyle Stebbins (QuickTime)
On Our Watch documentary by Refugees International (Google Video)
The Art of Flight feature film by Nomads Land Films (Google Video)
Darfur Refugees in Chad news report by BBC News (RealMedia)
Darfur Diaries feature film
Translating Genocide feature film by MTVu, featuring GI-Net Representative Stephanie Nyombayire
Darfur Destroyed documentary by Julie Flint and Human Rights Watch
ForGoodnessSake.tv short film (QuickTime)
Tomorrow Is Too Late short film by Protect Darfur/Aegis Trust (Windows Media)
Darfur: Lives Destroyed short film by Physicians for Human Rights (Flash)
A Promise Unkept news report by Nicholas Kristof and The New York Times (Flash)
All About Darfur feature film by Taghreed Elsanhouri
Crisis in Darfur news report by Channel 4 News (UK) and Native Voice Films
Darfur: Never Again — Again animation by Mark Fiore (Flash)
i-ACT: 21 Days on the Ground in Darfur and Chad documentary series by Stop Genocide Now

» email this page | printer friendly version

A Time that Thirsts for Heroes

Patrick Schmitt, STAND Executive Director

Speech to the D.C. to Darfur Conference April 29, 2006

It has not yet been two years since STAND, Students Taking Action Now: Darfur, was founded by a group of young people at Georgetown University.

These young people were bold enough, innovative enough, naïve enough, to dare to affect the wanton destruction of human life, more than 6,000 miles removed from Washington, D.C.

But Georgetown often receives too much credit in this respect. If you watched closely, an many of us did, you saw independent groundswells of outrage throughout the country. The University of North Carolina, Duke, Columbia, Harvard, Michigan State University. The University of Virginia. High schools in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Ohio.

Our peers asked “What can one person — a student, no less; often times a high school student — do to affect a genocide in a distant region?” Many of us stumbled with the answer and those who spoke truthfully replied, “very little.”

But you and I, we have forced irrelevance upon that question. It is no longer “what can I do?” Rather, I will tell you what we have already done.

From an origin of a few young people at a few schools, we have launched what many are calling the largest student movement in more than a decade.

From an origin of a few young people at a few schools, we have launched what many are calling the largest student movement in more than a decade. There are more than 500 STAND chapters throughout the Unites States and Canada. We set an ambitious goal in January of bringing 500 students to DC at the end of April. There are 878 students from 46 states here today.

In October, we led the world in a global fast. People from 17 countries participated and we raised nearly one million dollars for relief. To illustrate the reach of Darfur Fast, I’d like to read a brief email sent to Scott Warren, a high school senior at the time and now a freshman at Brown.

Dear Scott,

Thanks for your recent email. I am happy to join your suggested fast on October 6th, a day before my 74th birthday!

God bless you,

Desmond Tutu
Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town

We fought for the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act. In one day, we added 11 Senate co-sponsors. Then it stalled in the House, and we pushed again. After months of struggle, we broke through, and it’s now passed in both houses of Congress.

We forced the resignation of one Robert Cabelly, a lobbyist hired by the government of Sudan to advance the interests of a genocidal regime in the Department of State and in Congress.

Students have created the most successful divestment campaign since the anti-apartheid movement, and the fastest-growing divestment campaign in history.

And students have created the most successful divestment campaign since the anti-apartheid movement, and the fastest-growing divestment campaign in history.

The states of New Jersey, Illinois and Oregon have all approved divestment plans. A non-binding divestment resolution has passed in Ohio and Vermont. There is pending Sudan divestment legislation in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, California, Rhode Island, Connecticut, North Carolina, Indiana, Texas, Maryland, Kansas, Georgia and Iowa. Providence, Rhode Island recently became the first city in the country to divest, with legislation written in part by STAND, and New Haven quickly followed suit. At the university level, Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Brown, Amherst, Dartmouth, Samford and the University of California system have all enacted restrictions on Sudan investments. And there are growing campaigns at dozens more.

Our generation has proven itself unwilling to join the ranks of past generations who have fallen so often on the wrong side of history.

Our generation has proven itself unwilling to join the ranks of past generations who have fallen so often on the wrong side of history. Please, give yourselves a hand.

But there are goals we have yet to realize. A genocide continues in Darfur, with rape, murder, displacement. We fight not for the 400,000 who have died but for the hundred that die today, and the hundred that will die tomorrow. And there is far more to do.

I was arrested yesterday. Five members of Congress, four religious leaders and I obstructed the steps of the Sudanese embassy in protest of the genocide. The Save Darfur Coalition had asked me to serve as the representative of the student movement. And I was proud to do so. I told a reporter from NPR that this is a time that thirsts for heroes. And the young people that came in to Washington, D.C., this weekend, are heroes.

Thank you, welcome, and let’s get to work

» email this page | printer friendly version

Human Rights Watch

Darfur: Arrest War Criminals, Not Aid Workers (May 31, 2005) Donor governments and the United Nations must condemn the Sudanese governments arbitrary arrest and intimidation of aid workers, Human Rights Watch said today. The Sudanese government should drop charges against all aid workers, including the head of Medecins Sans Frontieres in Khartoum, Paul Foreman, who was arrested yesterday and released on bail.
Darfur: Aid Workers Under Threat (Apr. 5, 2005) The Sudanese government has sought to intimidate humanitarian relief agencies in Darfur by arbitrarily arresting or detaining at least 20 aid workers since December, Human Rights Watch said today. In several incidents, the rebel movements in Darfur have also detained or attacked aid workers.
U.N. Security Council Refers Darfur to the ICC (Mar. 31, 2005) The U.N. Security Council resolution referring Darfur to the International Criminal Court is a historic step toward justice for massive human rights violations committed in the western Sudanese region, Human Rights Watch said today. At the same time, the Security Council should help ensure an increased force on the ground to protect civilians and stabilize the deteriorating security situation.
U.N.: Pass Resolution to Refer Darfur to ICC (Mar. 25, 2005) U.N. Security Council members should urgently pass a new French-proposed resolution that would refer Darfur to the International Criminal Court, Human Rights Watch said today. The United States should abstain on the vote if it decides not to vote in favor.
U.S. Thwarts Justice for Darfur (Mar. 24, 2005) The United States is blocking U.N. Security Council action on the human rights crisis in Darfur on account of the Bush administrations hostility to the International Criminal Court, Human Rights Watch said today. On Tuesday, the United States proposed splitting a U.N. Security Council draft resolution on Sudan into three separate resolutions, none of which would authorize a tribunal to prosecute crimes against humanity in Darfur.
U.N.: No More Delay on Darfur (Mar. 18, 2005) United Nations Security Council members that support protecting civilians in Darfur should urgently co-sponsor a resolution referring Darfur to the International Criminal Court, Human Rights Watch said today. Today the Security Council extended by one week the mandate of the temporary international force in Sudan because it has been unable to agree on a package of measures to address the Darfur crisis and establish a peacekeeping force for Sudan more generally.
Targeting the Fur: Mass Killings in Darfur (Jan. 24, 2005) To date, the Sudanese government has neither improved security for civilians nor ended the impunity enjoyed by its own officials and allied militia leaders. Immediate action including an increased international presence in rural areas of Darfur is needed to improve protection of civilians and reverse ethnic cleansing. International prosecutions are also essential to provide accountability for crimes against humanity and ensure justice for the victims in Darfur.
U.N.: Security Council Must Act on Darfur (Mar. 17, 2005) In this letter to select U.N. Security Council members, Human Rights Watch urges governments to immediately co-sponsor a resolution referring horrific crimes in Darfur to the International Criminal Court. Human Rights Watch also calls for the implementation of measures such as more rigorous targeted sanctions, a no-fly zone, and a substantially increased African Union presence on the ground to provide a measure of protection to civilians in Darfur.
Sudan: Human Rights Concerns for the 61st Session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights (Mar. 10, 2005) Human Rights Watch calls on the Commission on Human Rights to re-establish the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on human rights for Sudan, and condemn gross abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by the government of Sudan, its allied Janjaweed and other militia, and rebel groups in Darfur.
U.N. Rights Body Must Fight to Restore Credibility (Mar. 8, 2005) With a membership that includes governments responsible for crimes against humanity, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights meeting in Geneva next week must take dramatic steps to restore its sinking credibility, Human Rights Watch said today.
U.N.: U.S. Seeks to Delay Justice for Darfur (Mar. 7, 2005) After its meeting today with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Security Council should take urgent steps to protect civilians in Darfur and refer the situation to the International Criminal Court, Human Rights Watch said. Meanwhile, the United States has proposed a 45-day delay in taking a decision on justice for Darfur’s victims.
Video Transcript: Exclusive Video Interview with Alleged Janjaweed Leader (Mar. 2, 2005) In late September 2004, a Human Rights Watch delegation interviewed Musa Hilal, a tribal leader from North Darfur who has allegedly organized Janjaweed militia to attack non-Arab tribes.
Darfur: Militia Leader Implicates Khartoum (Mar. 2, 2005) A top Janjaweed leader says the Sudan government backed and directed militia activities in northern Darfur, according to a videotape released by Human Rights Watch today.
Musa Hilal in His Own Words (Mar. 2, 2005) This is the exact English translation of Musa Hilal speaking on tape to Human Rights Watch. For a full transcript of the video, with the voice over included, click here.
Darfur: New Atrocities as Security Council Dithers (Feb. 25, 2005) New eyewitness accounts from Darfur of rapes, torture and mutilation by government-backed militias underscore how the U.N. Security Council must take urgent action to protect civilians and punish the perpetrators, Human Rights Watch said today.
U.N. Rights Chief Details Crimes in Darfur (Feb. 16, 2005) The top U.N. human rights official will brief the Security Council today on atrocities in Darfur. Following Louise Arbour’s report, the Security Council should take prompt action to protect civilians and refer Darfur to the International Criminal Court, Human Rights Watch said.
U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Why Alternatives to the ICC Are Inadvisable for Darfur (Feb. 15, 2005) This excerpt is taken from Section IV of the Report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur to the United Nations Secretary-General, dated January 25, 2005. The following paragraphs discuss the commission’s findings with regard to the inadvisability of mechanisms other than the International Criminal Court to bring justice for crimes in Darfur.
U.S. Proposal for a Darfur Tribunal: Not an Effective Option to Ensure Justice (Feb. 15, 2005) A U.N. Commission of Inquiry that the United States helped create recently found that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is the “single best mechanism” and the “only credible way” of ensuring justice for Darfur’s victims. The U.N. Commission of Inquiry also detailed in depth in its report why other mechanisms would be inadvisable to bring justice for atrocities in Darfur. Because Sudan is not a party to the treaty establishing the ICC, a Security Council referral is needed for the court to prosecute crimes committed in Darfur.
EU Should Push for ICC Referral of Darfur During Rice Visit (Feb. 9, 2005) The EU Troika should send a clear message to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the Security Council must refer Darfur to the International Criminal Court at the Feb. 10 EU-USA Ministerial Meeting in Luxembourg, Human Rights Watch said today. The first visit of Secretary of State Rice to Europe is a timely opportunity for the EU to raise the importance of accountability for crimes committed in Darfur.
Letter to UN Security Council on Proposed Peace Support Mission to Sudan (Feb. 9, 2005) We welcome Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s recent report on Sudan to the Security Council (S/2005/57) and its proposal for the establishment of a multidimensional U.N. peace support mission in Sudan. We applaud the Secretary-General’s proposals on protection, the integration into the U.N. operation of human rights monitoring throughout Sudan to include a significant presence in Darfur, and the emphasis on the need to develop a transitional justice strategy in accordance with the Secretary-General’s report “The Rule of Law and Transitional Justice in Conflict and Post-conflict Societies” (S/2004/616). Human Rights Watch urges the Security Council to explicitly include these elements in the resolution that you will soon be adopting. We also take this opportunity to suggest ways to strengthen the current proposals to improve human rights and civilian protection in Sudan as a whole and Darfur in particular.
Justice for Darfur needs more than "consensus" (Feb. 7, 2005) Last week, a United Nations commission of inquiry strongly recommended prosecutions at the International Criminal Court for those responsible for the killing fields of Darfur. The commission emphasised that alternatives to the ICC, as proposed by Washington, would be cumbersome and expensive. Britain"s ambassador to the UN, Sir Emyr Jones Parry, rightly noted that the court, set up to prosecute genocide and crimes against humanity, is "tailor-made" for cases such as Darfur.
U.S. Fiddles Over ICC While Darfur Burns (Jan. 31, 2005) The Bush administration is creating a deadly delay for the people of Darfur by attempting to block the U.N. Security Council from referring Darfur atrocities to the International Criminal Court, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Darfur: Prosecutions Needed to End Atrocities (January 24, 2005) International prosecutions are needed to deter ongoing atrocities in Darfur, Human Rights Watch said today in a report documenting crimes the Sudanese government and its allied militias have committed with complete impunity.
Targeting the Fur: Mass Killings in Darfur (January 24, 2005) Since February 2003, Darfur has been the scene of massive crimes against civilians of particular ethnicities in the context of an internal conflict between the Sudanese government and a rebel insurgency. Almost two million people have been forcibly displaced and stripped of all their property and tens of thousands of people have been killed, raped or assaulted.
Don’t Quench Thirst for Oil With Blood (January 21, 2005) As an emerging power increasingly seeking a global role, Beijing should recognize that its economic concerns must give way to the imperative of stopping the slaughter of the people of Darfur.
The Africa Agenda (January 21, 2005) If Condoleezza Rice's testimony this week at her Senate confirmation hearing as secretary of state is an indicator of the Bush administration's plans for Africa, Africans and the human rights community should be worried.
U.S.: ICC Best Chance for Justice in Darfur (January 21, 2005) A Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) is the course of action that can best guarantee efficient and effective prosecution of those most responsible for the atrocities committed in the Darfur region of Sudan. Human Rights Watch urges the United States to set aside its opposition to the ICC in this specific case of declared genocide by supporting or at least abstaining from a Security Council referral of the situation in Darfur.
No Justice for Sudan (January 10, 2005) The deal ending 20 years of war will not bring the guilty to account, HRW researcher Leslie Lefkow writes in London's Guardian.
Sudan: Atrocities, Impunity Threaten Lasting Peace (January 6, 2005) Continuing atrocities in the western region of Darfur and impunity for war crimes in the south jeopardize prospects for peace in Sudan, Human Rights Watch warned today ahead of the January 9 signing of a peace agreement to end the 21-year conflict in the south.
Grave Crimes: Darfur and the International Criminal Court (January 1, 2005) The United Nations Security Council has taken some belated measures to stop the violence in Darfur, but its response has been woefully inadequate. Prosecution of those responsible could make a real difference. Given the gravity of the crimes and the Sudanese government’s unwillingness to act, investigation and prosecution by the International Criminal Court could hold the key.
Human Rights Day Statement (December 10, 2004) As we commemorate Human Rights Day, we are challenged by how little the world has done to save the people of Darfur, in western Sudan, from the year’s greatest human rights disaster. With the Sudanese government and its ethnic militia well along in their campaign of murder, rape, pillage, and forced displacement, and after several Security Council resolutions on the Darfur crisis, the governments of the world can no longer claim not to know.
Darfur: Peace Talks Must Address Civilian Protection (December 10, 2004) The African Union must speed its deployment of troops to Darfur and seek to expand their mandate to protect civilians.
Darfur: U.N. Backtracks in Sudan Resolution (November 19, 2004) The U.N. Security Council has retreated from its previous stance to hold the Sudanese government accountable for the ongoing human rights abuses in Darfur, Human Rights Watch said today. A new resolution was passed today by a unanimous vote of the Security Council's 15 members.
Sudan: Human Rights Accountability Must Be Part of North-South Peace Agreement (November 18, 2004) In 2003, as hopes were rising that the government of Sudan would agree to an internationally-brokered settlement of the 21-year civil war in the South, the same government unleashed a brutal counterinsurgency campaign in the Darfur region of western Sudan. These two developments were not unrelated.
Sudan: Peace Deal Must Tackle Past Abuses (November 18, 2004) The impunity enjoyed by the Sudanese authorities in their ongoing atrocities in Darfur demonstrates why the near-final peace deal to end the country’s North-South conflict must include accountability for human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said today.
Bring the Darfur Killers to the World Court (November 18, 2004) "Making the rounds in Khartoum," HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth recounts in an article for The Financial Times, "I sensed that serious threat of prosecution at the ICC could help Darfur."
Canada's Darfur Imperatives (November 16, 2004) Prime Minister Paul Martin should use his trip to Sudan to advance his stated quest to define a new, more activist, international role for Canada, Georgette Gagnon argues in The Globe and Mail.
Sudan: Safe Darfur Returns Imperative (November 15, 2004) The U.N. Security Council must take immediate action to reverse ethnic cleansing and avert further displacement in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. On November 18-19, the Security Council will convene in Nairobi for a special session on Sudan.
“If We Return, We Will Be Killed” Consolidation of Ethnic Cleansing in Darfur, Sudan (November 15, 2004) This report documents the continuing climate of violence and insecurity in Darfur, and the urgent need for an expanded international protection force, especially near the camps that hold many of Darfur’s 1.6 million displaced persons. Just this week, as the U.N. Security Council prepared to meet in Nairobi, Sudanese security forces brazenly overran camps for the displaced persons.
UAE: Release Sudanese Opposition Figure (November 9, 2004) Human Rights Watch is concerned for the safety of Abdel Aziz Khalid, who was detained by United Arab Emirates immigration authorities at Abu Dhabi Airport on September 23, 2004.
Darfur: Donors Must Address Atrocities Fueling Crisis (September 27, 2004) Donor governments gathering today in Oslo to discuss humanitarian needs in Darfur should also take steps to end the serious human rights abuses responsible for the crisis, Human Rights Watch said today. Donors should pledge support for civilian protection under an expanded African Union (AU) mission in Darfur.
New Video Documents Ongoing Crimes in Darfur (September 21, 2004) Human Rights Watch and WITNESS have released a new video documenting atrocities committed against civilians in Darfur, western Sudan. The video includes scenes of burned and bombed villages and extensive interviews with the civilian victims of the crisis. Villagers interviewed for the video describe attacks by "Janjaweed" militias operating in concert with Sudanese government forces, including an attack as recent as mid-July 2004.

» email this page | printer friendly version

International Crisis Group

The Khartoum-SPLM Agreement: Sudan's Uncertain Peace (July 25, 2005) Implementation [of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement] lags badly...The main obstacles are the old regime's lack of will to embrace genuine power sharing and elections...and lack of capacity in the South to establish and empower basic structures of governance....There are signs the NCP [National Congress Party] seeks to undercut implementation through its use of the militias, bribery, and through the tactics of divide and rule...these tactics will likely intensify if pressure over Darfur diminishes....The SPLM leadership must begin to democratise its movement and empower the nascent civil institutions of the new Government of Southern Sudan.
The AU's Mission in Darfur: Bridging the Gaps (July 6, 2005) In view of the Sudanese government's abdication of its sovereign duty and to the extent that the AU cannot adequately protect Sudan's civilians, the broader international community has a responsibility to do so. Civilian protection needs to become the primary objective.
Poll: Do Americans Care About Darfur? PDF (Jun. 1, 2005) The breadth of American support — across party and religious lines — for a much tougher response to the current situation in Darfur is striking. Some 84 percent of respondents said the United States should not tolerate an extremist government committing such attacks, and should use its military assets, short of combat troops, to help bring such attacks to a halt.
CrisisWatch No. 21 (Jun. 1, 2005) Thirteen conflict situations around the world deteriorated in May 2005, according to this month's edition of CrisisWatch.
Do Americans Care about Darfur? (Jun. 1, 2005) Some 84% of respondents said the U.S. should not tolerate an extremist government committing such attacks, and should use its military assets, short of inserting U.S. combat troops on the ground to protect civilians, to help bring them to a halt.
A New Sudan Action Plan (Apr. 26, 2005) Despite the passage of important resolutions by the UN Security Council in the last week of March 2005, the situation in Sudan remains grave.
CrisisWatch No. 20 (Apr. 1, 2005) Nine conflict situations around the world deteriorated in March 2005, according to the new edition of CrisisWatch.
Darfur: The Failure to Protect PDF (Mar. 5, 2005) The UN Security Council must overcome divisions and act immediately to halt the mounting atrocities and death toll in Darfur. Three resolutions have failed to stem the violence; the fourth, now being debated, must be strong enough to make a difference. The key to stabilising the situation is to persuade Khartoum to fulfil its numerous commitments to disarm and neutralise the Janjaweed militia, but it will not do this as long as it believes the cost of inaction is minimal. Altering this calculus requires a resolution that: imposes targeted punitive measures; authorises the International Criminal Court to tackle atrocity crimes; and imposes a UN-authorised no-fly zone over Darfur. Equally vital, the inadequate African Union force in Darfur must be expanded to at least 10,000 and its mandate strengthened explicitly to protect civilians.
Crisis Watch No. 18 (Feb. 1, 2005) Sudan's north-south peace was consolidated with the official signing of the Naivasha deal on 9 January, formally ending a decades-long war that claimed millions of lives; however, the grave crisis in Darfur remains.
Sudan's Partial Peace (Jan. 7, 2005) If the parties uphold [the peace agreement], a principled peace will come to southern and central Sudan. If the government applies the blueprint it offers and moves vigorously towards peace in Darfur, the country could be transformed. But most indicators point towards a different outcome. The government is signing partially to deflect pressure over Darfur. It is likely to use resulting goodwill to increase attacks there and further undermine opposition elsewhere in the country. Without great international vigilance, implementation of the deal with the SPLM will slide, risking a standoff and return to war.
Crisis Watch No. 17 (Jan. 1, 2005) In Sudan, the long-awaited signing on 31 December in Naivasha of a final peace accord between the government and Southern SPLA rebels was offset by deteriorating security in Darfur.
Crisis Watch No. 16 (Dec. 1, 2004) Despite positive movement in peace talks between the Sudanese government and southern rebels, Darfur experienced increasing violence.
Get serious with Sudan (Nov. 18, 2004) Op-ed published in The Baltimore Sun by John Prendergast. If the government chooses cooperation, peace throughout Sudan could be secured by early next year. Little of substance prevents a final deal with the southern rebels and forward progress with the Darfurian rebels.
Crisis Watch No. 15 (Nov. 1, 2004) Diplomatic manoeuvring over Darfur crisis continued. Sudan accepted African Union (AU) force expansion ... government of Sudan retained primary security responsibility, disappointing hopes for more pro-active AU role.
Sudan's Dual Crises: Refocusing on IGAD (Oct. 5, 2004) As the Darfur crisis understandably preoccupies the international community, inadequate attention is being paid to ending Sudan's 21-year old civil war between the Khartoum government and the mainly southern insurgency led by the [Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army]. The peace process mediated by the regional organisation IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), looked close to finality in June 2004 but is now at risk.
Darfur Deadline: A New International Action Plan (Aug. 23, 2004) The international response to the crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur remains limp and inadequate, its achievements so far desperately slight. The UN Security Council must, by its review deadline of 30 August 2004, endorse a new international action plan — taking tougher measures against the Khartoum government, which has acted in bad faith throughout the crisis, and authorising the African Union (AU), with stronger international support, to follow up more decisively its efforts to improve the situation on the ground and mediate a political settlement.

» email this page | printer friendly version

Reports from the Genocide Intervention Network

Recent Polls Indicate Africans, US Citizens Support Intervention (July 20, 2005) According to a recent series of polls, Americans and Africans overwhelmingly support further intervention in the Darfur region of Sudan.

» email this page | printer friendly version

Get Involved with Genocide Intervention Network

Action Alert

Day 100: Call the White House and Demand Action on Darfur

April 29th is Day 100 of the Obama administration. During his first 100 days, you phoned, wrote, faxed and held events demanding that the Obama administration take action to protect the lives of civilians in Darfur. Obama responded by appointing Special Envoy Gration.

Yet, many humanitarian aid organizations are still denied entry to Darfur and the crisis escalates.

During the campaign, candidates Obama, Clinton and Biden complained that the Bush administration was not doing enough to support peace in Darfur. Now that they are in office, not much has changed. In fact, the situation in Sudan has gotten worse. Call 1-800-GENOCIDE today and ask the Obama administration to live up to its promises. Click here for more information about contacting the White House.

Review the latest action alert. You can receive action alerts via e-mail by joining the Genocide Intervention Network.

Current Legislation

Support the President's Request for Foreign Affairs Funding in the 2010 Budget

Urge your Representative and Senators to support the President's request for $2.26 billion in funding for the Contributions to International Peacekeeping Activities (CIPA) Account. This will ensure that the United States is able to pay our agreed upon contribution to the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in support of civilian protection, peace and stability.

Learn more about current legislation before Congress.

Downloadable Resources

The Complete Advocacy How-to Guide
(Includes 5 Tips for Effective Congressional Communication and the Advocacy Action Chart)

At a Glance: Advocacy How-to Guide

5 Tips for Effective Congressional Communication

Advocacy Action Chart: types of action you can take to communicate with elected officials

» email this page | printer friendly version

Ten Ways You Can Take Action Right Now

You have the power to help end the genocide. The world's leaders need support and pressure from you in order to act — below are more ways you can take action right now and have a hand in stopping genocide.

Join the Genocide Intervention Network: Join the community of concerned citizens fighting to stop genocide. GI-Net provides you with the necessary tools to transform your concern into effective action. The organization represents a movement of people like you whose actions and electoral influence matter. Take action and spread the word in your community. Help to build the first-ever permanent anti-genocide constituency!
If you are a student or otherwise connected to a college/university or high school, start a STAND chapter. Even if you are unable to start a chapter, sign up on the website for STAND news, local events, advocacy talking points, and more. STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition is the student arm of the Genocide Intervention Network. There are more than 800 chapters at schools around the United States and a growing number of international chapters.
Contribute to the Genocide Intervention Network: Support the peacekeeping mission in Darfur through donations. More than half of your contribution will go directly to support civilian protection. The remaining amount will fund programs, advocacy efforts and provide membership support for the network. Donate online today.
Ask the Presidential Candidates About Darfur: Make sure the next president of the United States has made specific commitments to end the genocide. Pose questions to candidates at events and forums, and let them know how important this issue is to voters. Get involved today!
Join the Rapid Response Network: There are instances when we need members to take immediate action. Join our Rapid Response Network and you will receive GI-Net action alerts in real time, ensuring that your action makes the maximum impact.
Divest from Sudan: Take back American dollars from foreign companies that fund the genocide in Darfur. Learn more about targeted Sudan divestment and how to join the campaign in your state. Ask your governor and state legislators to support targeted divestment. Divest your own personal funds from Sudan. To find out if you own mutual funds that warrant scrutiny consult the Sudan Divestment Task Force screening tool.
Write/Call/Visit Your Elected Officials: Tell your elected officials that you are a concerned voter who believes that the U.S. should do all that it can to end the genocide in Darfur. Learn if your members of Congress have “made the grade”. GI-Net's Darfur Scorecard grades elected officials on their efforts to end the genocide. Ask your legislators to co-sponsor and vote in favor of pending Darfur legislation. Urge them to take a stronger stance in the fight against genocide. Use the information available on the Darfur Scorecard, and the advocacy tool kit when you speak with your elected officials.
Hold an Event: You can raise awareness in your community about Darfur and contribute to our anti-genocide campaigns by hosting a fundraiser. Monetary donations will directly support our civilian protection program in Darfur. A guide is available with fundraising tips and ideas on types of events to hold. The Save Darfur Coalition has an excellent directory of groups so you can connect with folks in your area.
Write to Your Local Newspaper: Help raise awareness in your community. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper about the genocide in Sudan, illustrate your concerns, and challenge others to take action. Learn more about how to write a letter.
Bear witness:
Eyes on Darfur — See with your own eyes the results of the genocide on villages across Darfur. Visit Amnesty International's Eyes on Darfur and witness what is happening on the ground in Darfur. View satellite evidence of destroyed villages. Once you have witnessed the devastation in Darfur, take action to protect other villages at risk from targeted Janjaweed attacks. Tell Sudanese President Bashir that the whole world is watching.
Crisis in Darfur — Download and install Google Earth to view the Crisis in Darfur online mapping project of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Google Earth. Similar to Eyes on Darfur, Crisis in Darfur combines satellite images with photographs, data, and eyewitness testimony from Darfur.

» email this page | printer friendly version

Current Darfur Legislation

Updated: May 19, 2009

Support the President's Request for Funding in the 2010 Budget

In Darfur, and elsewhere around the world, we have seen how important properly trained and equipped peacekeeping troops are to protecting civilians, and maintaining peace and stability. The International Affairs budget has been underfunded for years. The United States is currently $669 million short of what we have agreed to pay in support of United Nations peacekeeping. Without adequate funding, the United States lacks the ability to support international peacekeeping and other efforts to prevent and stop mass atrocities. Support is needed for President Obama's International Affairs request in the 2010 Budget.

Urge your Representative and Senators to support the President's request for international affairs funding in the 2010 Budget.

» email this page | printer friendly version

Menu

User login

Wilkens

History of Genocide

Examples of Genocide in the Past

Darfur

Multimedia

Recommended Audio

Documents

Images

Audio

Videos

A Time that Thirsts for Heroes

Patrick Schmitt, STAND Executive Director

Speech to the D.C. to Darfur Conference April 29, 2006

Human Rights Watch

International Crisis Group

Reports from the Genocide Intervention Network

Get Involved with Genocide Intervention Network

Action Alert

Current Legislation

Downloadable Resources

Ten Ways You Can Take Action Right Now

Current Darfur Legislation

Support the President's Request for Funding in the 2010 Budget