Events: A decade of Darfur

A DECADE OF DARFUR

April 2013 will mark ten years since the start of the genocide that has devastated Darfur in Sudan, leaving at least 300,000 dead and millions living in refugee camps.

Darfur has been out of the news recently, but the violence and suffering continue. In the last year conditions in this vast but remote corner of Sudan have deteriorated: there is little security in the camps, few humanitarian groups are allowed to operate in Darfur, and refugees cannot return home to devastated villages where they risk attack. Civilians continue to be targeted by aerial bombardment and ground troops and militia. Women in particular are targeted for sexual violence by a regime intent on destroying Darfur society. The joint UN/African Union peacekeeping mission is ill-prepared to guarantee security, and the international response has been to appease the Sudanese regime for fear of provoking worse behaviour.

A Decade of Darfur brings together faith groups, humanitarian aid agencies, artists, academics, journalists, public figures, survivors of genocide and human rights campaigners. Through a series of events A Decade of Darfur aims to:

Remember those who have died and those who have lost family members and homes in the violence.

Reflect on the causes of ethnic cleansing and genocide, exploring the pattern of state-sponsored killing of civilians that has marked the 20th and 21st centuries.
Raise awareness of the continuing conflict, and the price being paid by civilians.
Honour the survivors by hearing the current voices of Sudan.

Review the disappointing international response to Darfur in particular and genocide in general, considering more effective options to end the impunity of tyrants.
Act: offer a variety of options for those who wish to give “Never Again” real meaning, ranging from a quick and simple action like signing a petition or emailing decision-makers, to attending a demonstration and representing a Sudanese person who has died in the conflict.

Events include:

• 12th March A DECADE OF DARFUR, an event organised by Waging Peace and UCL. A panel will discuss the current situation in Darfur and the difficulties experienced by the women and children in particular.

• 11th April 7pm Alyth North Western Reform Synagogue, north London – NEVER AGAIN? WILL WE EVER LEARN THE LESSONS ABOUT GENOCIDE? A panel discussion about why we have failed to learn the lessons of the 20th century’s genocides, with survivors from the Holocaust, Bosnia, Rwanda and Sudan. The evening will include the display of Darfuri children’s drawings of their experience of the ethnic cleansing.

• April – Event with the All Parliamentary Group on Sudan to increase awareness amongst parliamentarians about what has happened in Darfur over the last ten years.

• 28th April HEAR THE VOICES OF DARFUR – a demonstration in central London and presentation of a unique petition, collected in Darfuri refugee camps. Those attending will represent those who have been killed since 2003.

• End of April – High Level Forum to discuss the future of Sudan. A select group of key decision-makers will be invited to hear from a panel of well-known and trusted speakers on Sudan including Mukesh Kapila and Douglas Johnson.