WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 22, 2009 – Darfuris, other Sudanese and Americans who share a common concern about the Obama Administration’s lack of response to the ongoing crimes against humanity in Sudan and Darfur are gathering today at 1:00 PM in front of the White House to deliver a letter to President Obama before marching to the State Department with a similar letter for Secretary Clinton. (Copy of letter below.) Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Sub Committee on Africa an Global Health is also attending and addressing the participants.

“Today’s ruling on Abyei demonstrates the importance of justice and peace coming together for Sudan,” states Mohamed Yahya, a refugee from the Darfur region of Sudan and the Founder and Executive Director of the Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy which organized the rally. “Just as the court’s ruling on Abyei is being respected, so should the court’s decision regarding the indictments against al-Bashir.”

“The international community should stop protecting those criminals who have killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Darfur and throughout the Sudan,” Yahya continues. “We need to bring these perpetrators to justice immediately; this is the only way to save precious lives, protect the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and pave the way to a lasting peace for Sudan.”

A new survey shows that the publics in four majority Muslim and African nations, contrary to the positions of their governments, largely approve of the indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

The letters delivered today call on President Obama, his Administration and the State Department to release a firm and clear “Statement of Administration Policy” on the situation in Darfur and to begin implementing it without further delay. The Darfuris seek an unequivocal statement from the United States Government in support of the following:

1. International cooperation with International Criminal Court and its indictments of Omar al-Bashir and other suspects for war Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and Genocide;
2. The immediate deployment of the 26,000 UNAMID Peace Forces to Darfur with a full Chapter VII mandate, and all necessary support and supplies;
3. Pressure on the Government of Sudan to allow all expelled humanitarian organizations back into Darfur without any delays or conditions;
4. Strict trade sanctions against Chinese oil companies, and all other companies investing in Sudanese oil or exporting weapons to Sudan and otherwise conducting business with the genocidal Regime;
5. The end of attacks on Refugee Camps in Chad and Darfur and the return of all
confiscated land to its rightful owners.

Sponsored by the Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy, the rally was timed to coincide with Special Envoy Gration’s trip to the Sudan and today’s announcement of the decision on the boundaries of the contested Abyei region. It also falls on the same day as President Obama’s prime time press conference. Darfuris hope that journalists will ask questions about Darfur and the ICC case against Bashir at the news conference. Americans nationwide will also be participating in a National Call-In Day to the White House in support of the Darfuri rally.

In addressing the participants, Congresswoman Woolsey said, “After recognizing genocide in Darfur almost five years ago, it’s far past time for the international community to come together to end it. We need to make ending the genocide in Darfur a top priority. This isn’t a Democratic issue or a Republican issue – this is one of the moral issues of our time.”

Special Envoy Gration is currently travelling the region to assess the situation in Darfur and to participate in discussions with the Government of South Sudan and to continue the trilateral meetings between the SPLM, the Government of Sudan and the United States Government that began in Washington in June 2009. This important trip will build invaluable relationships between the people of Sudan and decision makers in Washington. “While laying the ground work is essential for a new Administration, it is time for action, now,” states Yahya. “The people of Darfur cannot wait any longer.”

Scheduled speakers to the rally include Mohamed Yahya. Darfuri and Founder and Executive Director, Damage Coalition for Freedom and Democracy of Washington DC; Omar Ismail, Darfuri Activist from Enough Project of Washington DC; Daowd Salish, Darfuri and President of Damage Board of Directors of New Jersey; Dr. Abdul-gabber Adam, Darfuri and President of Darfur Human Rights of Philadelphia; Ms. Niemat Ahmadi, Darfuri Liaison Officer for Save Darfur Coalition of Washington DC; Ms. Naziabad, Darfuri Human Rights Activist of Georgia; Bukhara Dose, President of Darfuri Association of New York; Jimmy Mulla, President of Southern Sudanese Voice for Freedom of Virginia; Nordic Manna, President of Nubian Project of North Sudan of Maryland; Yahya Osman, Vice President of Darfur Rehabilitation Project of New Jersey; Adobe Yusuf, International Coordinator For Sudan Social Development organization of New Jersey; Ms. Saud Mansur, Darfuri from Darfur Alert Coalition of Philadelphia; and Maggie Fick, Policy Assistant, Enough Project of Washington, DC.

###

Text of letter:

Most Honorable President Obama:

In Ghana, you were clear in saying, “We must bear witness to the value of every child in Darfur,” but a witness who does nothing to assist the helpless is complicit in the crime. Bearing witness and recognizing the value of every life lost and still at risk in Darfur means standing up and taking action. We must be equally clear – Darfur will not
continue to burn, not again on our watch.

The transition period is always one of delayed action, but you have appointed your key actors and your Special Envoy to Sudan will return from a month in the region at the end of the week. We trust your
leadership and know the value of careful preparations, but the ground work is laid. It is time to act.

All actors must remember that the disintegrating Comprehensive Peace Agreement is an incomplete answer to the many tragedies in Sudan, especially those in Darfur. Without international action now, on
behalf of those without a voice, the people of Darfur will continue to be denied the peace that all Sudanese were promised. The Administration needs to ensure that the ground work for justice and
peace in Sudan is meticulously laid out, but time is of the essence.

The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy, along with its partners, calls on your Administration and your State Department to urgently release a firm and clear “Statement of Administration Policy” on the situation
in Darfur and to begin implementing it without further delay.

We seek an unequivocal statement of United States Government support for the following:

1. International cooperation with International Criminal Court and its indictments of Omar al-Bashir and other suspects for War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity;
2. The immediate deployment of the 26,000 UNAMID Peace Forces to Darfur with a full Chapter VII mandate, and all necessary support and supplies;
3. Pressure on the Government of Sudan to allow all expelled humanitarian organizations back into Darfur without any delays or conditions;
4. The end of attacks on Refugee Camps in Chad and Darfur and the return of all confiscated land to its rightful owners;
5. Strict trade sanctions against Chinese oil companies, and all other companies investing in Sudanese oil or exporting weapons to Sudan and otherwise conducting business with the genocidal Regime.
The leadership of the United States, the active engagement of the CPA mediators and the commitment of the international community are pivotal to a sustainable peace process. Your Administration must take advantage of unprecedented goodwill and a unique moment – a moment when real progress can be made. We are standing up today to show that the political will for substantive action exists. Support the innocent people of Sudan and bring the leaders of the world along with you. You know how many lives hang in the balance.

With the sincere support of the following representatives of the Darfuri community,

Mohamed Yahya,
Executive Director, The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy
Washington, DC

Mohamed Yahya
Executive Director,
The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy
Washington, DC

Daowd Salih
Board of Directors President
The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy
Washington, DC

Dr. Abdul-gabar Adam
President, Darfur Human Rights
Philadelphia, PA

Ms. Nusaiba
Darfuri Women of Georgia

Bushara Dosa
President, Darfuri Association of New York

Jimmy Mulla
President, Southern Sudan Community
Virginia

Nouredin Mannan
President, Nubia of North Sudan Community

Yahya Osman
Darfur Rehabilitation Project
New Jersey

Adeeb Yousif
International Coordinator For Sudan Social Development Organization
New Jersey

Suad Mansour
Darfur Alert Coalition
Philadelphia

Lam Jock
President of United Sudanese Youth
Virginia

Ibrahim Tahir Ahmed
Beja Congress Party
Washington DC

Sunday Taabu
Administrative Chair, South Sudan Institute for Women’s Education and Leadership
Greensboro, NC

Niemat Ahmadi
Darfuri Liaison Officer, Save Darfur Coalition
Washington, DC

Mohamed Suleiman
Member, Executive Committee, San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition
San Francisco, CA

And the following organizations standing in solidarity with Darfuris,

Nikki Serapio
Director, Americans Against the Darfur Genocide
San Francisco, CA

Eric Cohen
Chairperson, Investors Against Genocide
Boston, MA

Susan Morgan
Director of Communications, The Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur
Boston, MA

Sharon Silber
Co-Founder, New York City Coalition for Darfur
New York, NY

Eileen Weiss
Steering Committee Co-Chair, DarfurMetro
New York, NY

Leah Nuckolls
Founder, Be Their Messenger
Gilbert, AZ

Julia A. Hays
Director, Keokuk for Darfur
Keokuk, IA

Nell Okie
The New Haven Alliance for Congo
Madison, CT

Michael Schwartz
Regional Coordinator, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Cambridge, MA

Eric Frenkil
Founder, Activists United
Beloit, WI

Ruth Messinger
President, American Jewish World Service
New York, NY

Bryan Ardouny
Executive Director, Armenian Assembly of America
Washington, DC

Angie McPhaul
Coordinator, Stanford STAND
Palo Alto, CA

Sara Caine Kornfeld
Project Founder, “Change the world. It just takes cents”
Denver, CO

Rabbi Charles M. Feinberg
Adas Israel Congregation
Washington, DC

Faith J. H. McDonnell
Director, Church Alliance for a New Sudan
Washington, DC

Benjamin Swartout
Mid-Atlantic Regional Outreach, STAND
Upton, MA

Carmen Paolercio
Shine A Ray of Hope for Darfur
New Rochelle, NY

Cory Williams
Darfur and Beyond
Phoenix, AZ

Gerri Miller
Founder and Coordinator, Dear Sudan, Love Marin
Tiburon, CA

Do you think that President Obama has kept his campaign promise about the genocide in Darfur? Many Darfur advocates do not. Please read the reasons below and decide for yourself. For daily updates on the news from Darfur from the viewpoint of those who live there, visit http://whilewewaitsudan.blogspot.com

If you agree that Obama has broken his promise, send an email to the “Obameter” at obameter@politifact.com and tell the editors why you believe Obama has broken Promise #430.

If we can tilt the Obameter to count immediate action on Darfur as one of Obama’s broken promises, we just might get his long overdue attention.

President Obama’s Promise on Darfur

“As president, Obama will take immediate steps to end the genocide in Darfur by increasing pressure on the Sudanese and pressure the government to halt the killing and stop impeding the deployment of a robust international force.”

Source – The Change We Need – Foreign Policy

Has Obama’s promise been broken? You decide.

FACT: Over four months after inauguration, Government of Sudan (GoS) planes have been bombing defenseless Darfuri refugees in camps in Chad and its own citizens in IDP camps in Darfur.

OBAMA’S RESPONSE: None

FACT: Nearly three months after the GoS expelled 13 foreign aid groups from the country, 1.5 million people are still waiting for adequate food, water, sanitation and medical care to be restored. The GoS has repeatedly refused to permit these humanitarian aid organizations to return, instead claiming to provide aid itself. This claim is disputed by Darfuris and the expelled organizations.

OBAMA’S RESPONSE: On March 10, Obama said it is “not acceptable to put that many people’s lives at risk” and “We need to be able to get those humanitarian organizations back on the ground.” No further response since then.

FACT: Four months after inauguration, the US State Department, has yet to unveil its long-awaited Sudan policy review.

OBAMA’S RESPONSE: Since the State Department answers to the White House, the slow pace of this review is a direct contradiction of his promise for “immediate” steps.

FACT: Retired Maj. General Scott Gration, the President’s Special Envoy to Sudan, spoke of the need to “look, learn and listen” from the regime of indicted war criminal President Omar al-Bashir and has extended the hand of America in friendship.

OBAMA’S RESPONSE: Under Obama, the new administration has not made any comments regarding “increasing pressure” on the GoS.

FACT: Three months after inauguration, the State Department released a report which, according to Senator Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., overstates Sudan’s cooperation with the United States on counterterrorism. Feingold has asked for a response from the State Department.

OBAMA’S RESPONSE: None

FACT: Efforts to convene a civil society conference on Darfur with the aim of building what its organizers call “a mandate for peace” were derailed by the GoS.

OBAMA’S RESPONSE: None

FACT: The GoS executed 9 men on April 1, who may have been innocent of the crimes for which they were convicted. Over 70 more men await a similar fate. Their confessions were reported to have been extracted under torture.

OBAMA’S RESPONSE: None

The facts speak for themselves. If you agree that President Obama has broken his promise, send an email to the “Obameter” at obameter@politifact.com and tell the editors why Obama has broken Promise #430. It’s not too late to get the President to live up to his word.

For daily updates on the news from Darfur from the viewpoint of those who live there, visit http://whilewewaitsudan.blogspot.com

In the coming days, President Barack Obama will be presented with an opportunity to tackle a foreign policy challenge frequently raised on the campaign trail: the human rights crisis in Darfur.

Since 2003, the Sudanese government and its militia allies have killed and displaced hundreds of thousands of Darfur’s civilians. The government has also obstructed international efforts to stop the killing. As a consequence, the U.N. Security Council authorized the International Criminal Court to address this matter. The ICC is expected to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on war crimes charges within the next week or two.

Such action would make Mr. al-Bashir the first sitting head of state to be subjected to an arrest warrant in the court’s history. The challenge for the Obama administration is to leverage the pressure the court’s action will bring to bear on the Sudanese leader. Mr. Obama should publicly support the arrest warrant and make clear that the U.S. will not sit idly by if any member of the Security Council – notably China – attempts to shield Mr. al-Bashir.

Read more

During Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s confirmation hearing she said she would prioritize the Darfur crisis and jolt the world community into action.  “There is a great need for us to sound the alarm again about Darfur. It is a terrible humanitarian crisis compounded by a corrupt and very cruel regime in Khartoum.”

Now, if ever, is the time for the United States to clearly and decisively sound that alarm.  Yesterday, the UN confirmed that an aerial bomb attack by Sudanese government planes on Muhajiriya, a town in southern Darfur, killed and wounded civilians on Saturday.  Air attacks in Darfur are forbidden under a 2006 peace deal and U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Credible sources from within Darfur also report rapidly escalating and widespread violence against civilians in recent days.  One version is that in North Darfur, there have been bombings near Anka and heavy Janjaweed attacks, and that in South Darfur there were Janjaweed attacks and even attacks on civilian villages using Sudanese tanks.

As previously threatened by Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir, this violence comes in advance of his indictment on war crimes charges by the ICC.  In a matter of weeks, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is widely expected to issue a warrant for his arrest.  The ICC prosecutor has charged him with ten counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.  Bashir has repeatedly threatened violence against civilians and is now carrying out these threats.  He has also stated that he will completely block humanitarian aid if the warrant is issued.  The potential for massive loss of life is enormous.

The Obama administration must not let Bashir’s new attacks go unchallenged.  Instead, it should quickly and decisively address the escalating violence in Darfur ahead of the ICC indictment of Omar al Bashir.  The president should issue immediate warnings to Bashir and the ruling National Congress Party specifying the consequences of further attacks.  His team should also immediately prepare an emergency response plan to address the violence if it continues.

Today, grassroots activists from across the country have launched a call-in campaign to the White House asking Obama to take these two crucial steps to protect civilians in Darfur.

An open letter to the president issued on January 22 by Enough, the project to end genocide and crimes against humanity, said in part:

“President Obama should not wait until the arrest warrants are issued, but rather task a senior official to immediately inform the Sudanese regime of the dire consequences that would result from any disruption of humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts. Beyond that, President Obama should lead an international peace surge for Sudan, aimed at ending the war in Darfur and implementing the North-South peace deal.”

In Clinton’s confirmation testimony, she said, “We have spoken about other options, no-fly zones, other sanctions and sanctuaries, looking to deploy the UN/AU force to try to protect the refugees but also to repel the militias,” she said.  “There is a lot under consideration,” she added.

Madame Secretary and Mr. President, the time for consideration has passed.  With 2.7 million displaced Darfuri people vulnerable in IDP camps, at least 300,000 already killed, and new assaults on civilians rapidly escalating, the United States must respond immediately to Bashir’s very credible threats of “more violence and blood.” If we don’t, the blood will be on our hands as well.