Peace & Justice in Darfur & All Sudan

Four million internally displaced people. According to UN figures, nearly 300,000 dead. While the serious massacres of 2003-2004 are no longer commonplace, millions of people today remain affected by the conflict in Darfur. The Sudanese government deliberately restricts humanitarian access to these victims. Military aircraft have bombed rebel controlled areas where civilians reside. In 2007, government forces tried numerous times to forcibly evict civilians from some of Darfur's biggest camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs). Civilians, particularly women, work hard to live with dignity in the sprawling urban communities that IDP camps have become, but a climate of lawlessness, violence (including rape) and impunity for human rights abusers persists. The conflict has brought instability to neighboring countries as well, notably to eastern Chad and the Central African Republic.

In 2008 Africa Action launched an intensified campaign to raise awareness about the continuing crisis in Darfur and put public pressure on the next U.S. president to lead the international community in bringing peace and justice to Darfur and all Sudan. Since then, the Obama administration has appointed Special Envoy Scott Gration while supporting the governments in Khartoum and Juba as they prepare for implementation of the CPA, particularly the 2011 referendum. Africa Action holds that public pressure on the U.S. government must achieve:

Protection of civilians from violence, starvation and disease;
Sustainable peace for all Sudan, including upholding the Comprehensive Peace Agreement; and
Justice for victims and accountability for perpetrators.

Our new campaign under the banner JUST L.E.A.D not only calls for leadership from the U.S. government but also challenges all of us to meet our collective responsibility as ordinary individuals to LEARN. EDUCATE. and ACT. DAILY. on the most important moral and solidarity question of our time.

Campaign Resources:

Fact Sheets

Africa Action Talking Points on Sudan.
“Since the beginning of his presidency, President Obama has taken two important strides in his commitment to peace and justice in Darfur & all Sudan. The first positive step was the appointment of a full time U.S. Presidential envoy charged with pursuing diplomatic efforts recommended by the human rights community, including Africa Action. Secondly, the administration announced a new policy strategy toward Sudan that aimed to encourage a renewed focus on ending the suffering in Darfur, and building a lasting peace. Tragically, it is unclear how the U.S. will strike a balance between incentives and disincentives…”
January 2010

Six Months Since 1769
"The following report offers a month-by-month account of the status of UN Security Council Resolution 1769 since its passage on July 31 2007 and the failure of the international community to protect the people of Darfur and adequately respond to the political crises affecting all of Sudan..."
January 31, 2008

Darfur in Context
"This Africa Action report relates the crisis in Darfur to Sudan's other conflicts and addresses some common misperceptions of the situation in Darfur..."
December 10, 2007

Building a Better UNAMID
"Ahead of the anniversary of UNAMID's reauthorization, a joint NGO statement is released highlighting some glimmers of hope and the many gaps and failures that still plague UNAMID two years later..."
July 30, 2009

Beyond Darfur: Sudan in its Entirety
“Darfur is not the only region of Sudan that has suffered from political and economic marginalization often characterized by prejudice based upon ethnicity and racialized identity markers. A lasting solution to Sudan’s conflicts must be comprehensive in addressing the frustrations and hopes of people throughout the country, not just those of Darfur or those in the South. This Africa Action resource lays out the challenges facing three marginalized communities, all of which are critical to the long-term peace and development of Sudan and the region…”
May 19, 2008

The Ties that Bind Bush and Bashir
“This February, the Sudanese government launched a series of direct assaults on towns and villages in West Darfur that harkened back to the worst periods of violence since the conflict began in 2003. The tactics used by Janjaweed militia and supporting government troops made no attempt to discriminate between civilians and present or imagined rebel combatants. Such deliberate attacks on civilians characterize the strategy of counterinsurgency by genocide that the Sudanese government has pursued since rebellion broke 5 years ago. Although it acknowledges the genocide, the Bush administration has failed to make Darfur a U.S. foreign policy priority. This report documents hypocrisy of U.S. policy toward Sudan…”
April 8, 2008

Opportunity for Impact - the June U.S. Presidency of the UNSC
“On the first day of June 2008, the U.S. will begin its month-long presidency of the United Nations (UN) Security Council - a window of opportunity for effective international leadership. The top U.S. priority for this period should be achieving the full deployment of the UNAMID peacekeeping force for Darfur, Sudan, that the Security Council authorized last July…”
May 19, 2008

Activist Tools

Children of Darfur, Exhibit: Learn more on how you can host an art exhibit in your town today!
“Children are the youngest survivors of this genocide, and their drawings depict the atrocities that they face. Dr. Jerry Ehrlich, a pediatrician from New Jersey, collected drawings from children in Darfur while he was working in one of the camps for internally displaced people. Africa Action has converted these drawings into an exhibit to help remind people of the on-going genocide in Darfur….”
January 2010

Darfur: We Won't Get Fooled Again: Watch the Video
“Click here to watch the video about President Obama’s comprehensive strategy to help end the conflict in Darfur…”
January 2010

U.S. Policy

Sign On Letter: Obama Don't Change Your Sudan Policy
Africa Action, SaveDarfur and other civil society organizations are calling for redoubled efforts to prevent a return to war between North and South Sudan and to protect all Sudanese civilians. In January 2011, Southern Sudanese will vote in a referendum to determine whether South Sudan will secede from the North and become an independent state.

Africa Action Statement on Elections in Sudan
“From April 11 – 15, the North African nation of Sudan held its first multi-party elections in 24 years with 16 million Sudanese casting their votes for president, legislative and local representatives. While saluting the great courage of millions of Sudanese who turned out in difficult conditions to exercise their democratic right to vote, Africa Action echoes sentiments expressed by many Sudanese civil society voices and independent observers that the elections did not live up to democratic standards and therefore do not reflect the democratic will of the people of Sudan.”
May 2010

Africa Action Calls for Greater Arms Control in Sudan As Elections Draw Near
“In light of the impending April 11th elections in Sudan, Africa Action calls for greater restrictions and transparency on the supply of military materials to the Government of Sudan and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement / Army (SPLM). Recent evidence indicates that weapons are entering Sudan’s borders through U.S. allied states, and this development points to a possible return to all out conflict and a deterrence to the electoral participation of the Sudanese people…”
February 2010

Africa Action Reacts to Sudan Policy Announcement by Sec. of State Clinton
“This week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, UN Ambassador Susan Rice, and General Gration finally announced a new U.S. – Sudan policy primarily based on “incentives and disincentives” depending on verifiable progress. Africa Action welcomes the Administration’s policy that addresses Darfur and all Sudan, and appears to be results driven. However, we voice concern with the vague pronouncement of a “new” policy strategy towards Sudan that relies heavily on classified information…”
October 19, 2009

Darfur Advocates Call on Special Envoy Gration to Make UNAMID Effectiveness a Top Priority
"In a letter delivered to U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration this month signed by 36 organizations, Darfur advocates urged General Gration to ensure that the operations of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) are not hindered by the Sudanese government..."
July 27, 2009

Africa Action Statement on Genocide in Darfur: Next Steps After the U.S. Presidency of the UN Security Council in May
“During the month of May, the U.S. held the presidency of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, a position imbued with the authority to set that major international body’s priorities and agenda. In preparation for this month-long responsibility, Africa Action called on the U.S. to use this rare and limited opportunity to take deliberate steps to address the violence in Darfur, now in its fifth year…”
June 11, 2007

Unkept Promises: Africa Action Statement on the Status of Peacekeeping for Darfur
“The pressing need for an effective peacekeeping force for Darfur, with a mandate to protect civilians and ensure stability, has long been clear. Yet, the stonewalling of the Sudanese government and the inattention of the international community has consistently delayed addressing this urgent priority. The U.S. has long recognized that the conflict in Darfur constitutes genocide. Now, the U.S. must work in partnership with the international community to guarantee the protection of civilians through the deployment of an international UN peacekeeping force…”
July 10, 2007

Africa Action Condemns Resumption of Large-Scale Sudanese Government Attacks on Civilians
“In light of the recent security meltdown in Chad and the brutal February 8 attack on Darfuri civilians by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied Janjaweed militia, Africa Action calls for heightened U.S. diplomatic pressure to expedite the full deployment of the hybrid United Nations (UN)-African Union (AU) peacekeeping force known as UNAMID to Darfur …”
February 13, 2008