Genocide in Sudan: Darfur, South Kordofan, the Nuba Mountains, and Blue Nile States Still Under Attack by President Omar El-Bashir
March 31, 2016 by Herbert Daughtry
On Friday, March 4, 2016, I attended a rally at the Dag Hammershold Plaza at the United Nations. It marked the 7th Anniversary of the International Criminal Court’s issuance of a warrant for President Omar El-Bashir’s arrest for war crimes and crimes against humanity on March 4, 2009.On July 12, 2010, he was indicted for genocide.
As the victims of terrorist attacks and the wars in Europe and the Middle East have gained the attention of the world, Africa is forgotten or neglected. Boko Harem is still on the loose, wreaking havoc. In Sudan, El-Bashir continues to bomb, invade, and occupy ancient territories – Darfur, South Kordofan, the Blue Nile States, and the Nuba Mountain region. They are being taken over to build dams.
The following letter with 116 signatories was delivered to Ambassador Ismael Abraão Gaspar Martins, Permanent Representative, Mission of Republic of Angola to the UN President, United Nations Security Council. Perhaps, you would like to sign, or get involved. If so, contact us at 415@holc.org, or call 718.596.1991.
March 4, 2016
Your Excellency,
We, the undersigned 116 representatives of Sudanese and international humanitarian and human rights organizations and advocates, write to you in your capacity as President of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for March 2016 to request your assistance in bringing before the UNSC the outstanding arrest warrants for President Bashir of Sudan, the first of which was issued 7 years ago today on March 4, 2009, for the purpose of encouraging cooperation by the members of the UNSC and all UN member states to facilitate the immediate arrest of Bashir and all those indicted for crimes committed against the people of Darfur in order, as the Rome Statute states, to “put an end to impunity…and to contribute to the prevention of such crimes” in Sudan and throughout the world. The failure of the UN member states to arrest Bashir has caused great suffering for the people of Sudan, the region and the world:
• African Islamic University in Khartoum serves as a hub for training Islamists and extremists that operate in Nigeria, Somalia and in other parts of Africa and the Middle East; the regime supports the Muslim Brotherhood and Joseph Kony; and it provides arms to the Islamist rebels in Libya while fueling conflict in South Sudan.
• According to UNHCR, the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Sudan has climbed to 2,342,979 and those who have sought refuge in other countries from state sponsored violence totals 640,919.
• Camps for IDPs and refugees from Darfur are being attacked and/or dismantled, leaving residents defenseless and homeless.
• Massive attacks, including aerial bombardment, in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur have been ongoing since January 15, 2016.
• Villages are being burned in El Geneina, the capital of Western Darfur State.
• Bombing and a massive government military campaign are underway in the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile state, where, along with other locations in Southern Kordofan, crimes against humanity are rampant.
• Life-saving international humanitarian aid is denied by the government to its victims throughout Sudan including Eastern Sudan.
• Dams are being built in Sudan in specific locations designed to eliminate Nubian cultural sites.
• Basic freedoms are denied throughout Sudan and those who question the regime face detention, torture and death.
Today, while you meet with your colleagues inside the United Nations, we will be in front of the UN, representing the victims of Bashir and calling for his immediate arrest. Today in Sudan, millions of people are hungry, hurting and living in fear, and they are looking to you to stand on their behalf at a time when they feel hopeless and forgotten. Please put intense pressure on the Sudan government to stop aerial bombardment in Darfur, the Nuba Mountains and in Blue Nile state and to end all attacks on civilians, especially those in IDP camps. In addition, please require that the Sudan government allow international humanitarian aid to reach Sudanese who are in such desperate need throughout the country. The future of Sudan can look much different than its past, but it will take the courage and resolve of leaders like you to uphold international law and to send a message to criminals world-wide that crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide will not be tolerated. Instead, through your actions and by arresting Bashir, the world will see that the United Nations is committed to maintaining international peace and security, upholding justice, and protecting the fundamental dignity and human rights of all people.