Champion Darfur

Sudan Sham 2010 Campaign - Nevada

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:48:00 +0000

TAKE ACTION TODAY!

To mark the 50 days until Sudan’s nationwide election, grassroots activists around the United States have kicked off Sudan Sham Elections 2010, a campaign to press U.S. leaders to take a firmer line in Sudan. In particular, activists are expressing their distaste for the U.S. government’s decision to allocate $100 million in taxpayers’ money to an election they believe will be anything but free and fair. The 24th of February is Nevada's day to represent during this campaign.

Take 5 minutes and tell Senators Reid and Ensign as well as Representatives Heller, Titus, and Berkley that our money shouldn't go the rigged re-election campaign of a man wanted for human rights violations. Please....

1) sign our open letter at http://bit.ly/cXvdlR

2) Join our Tweet-Athon and tell @SenatorReid: Sudan's April elections are neither fair nor free. #SudanSham

Please support our efforts, sign our letter and ask your friends to do the same!

Sudan Sham 2010: Nevada

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:55:00 +0000

I am happy to announce that Champion Darfur will be participating in the Sudan Sham 2010 Campaign and helping to represent Nevada on February 24th! But to do this effectively we are going to need everyone to help.

Sudan Sham 2010 is a coordinated effort of regular citizens and advocacy groups across all 50 states and DC who stand with the people of Sudan in an effort to bring attention to the unfair Sudanese elections, currently scheduled for April 2010. These will be anything but free and fair. The electoral reforms laid out by Sudan's 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement - necessary for a credible election - have been delayed, obstructed and outright violated by the Sudanese government. With instability continuing in Darfur and violence mounting in the South, fraudulent elections in April could be a dangerous flashpoint for Sudan.

In a climate of violent political intimidation and with millions disenfranchised in camps, there cannot be credible elections in Sudan. US support gives the government of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, indicted on war crimes and crimes against humanity, legitimacy it does not deserve. It is a waste of American taxpayer money, and non-credible elections will fuel violence and divisions in a country that is already on the brink.

I have drafted a open letter to this point to Senator Harry Reid, Senator John Ensign, Rep. Shelley Berkley, Rep. Dean Heller, and Rep. Dina Titus and I am asking you to please read and sign our letter.

We have established a goal of 1000 signatures by the 24th of February so please sign and share with all your friends!

The killing of Mohamed Musa Abdella Bahraldien

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 06:19:00 +0000

This is a article posted by Bec Hamilton on February 11,2010 at her blog The Promise of Engagement. She is an amazing activist and hits the nail on the head with this posting. The grassroots activists are mobilizing before Sudan's tainted elections in April ask the Obama administration to not recognize these elections and to not give the Bashir regime any kind of legitimacy. Please join a organizations efforts today. Whether online or off, a rally, a petition, anything. We must act now. Thank you.

The killing of Mohamed Musa Abdella Bahraldien

By Bec Hamilton | Published: February 11, 2010

[Editorial note: There was date error in the email originally pasted into this post. I have since had it confirmed from several sources that Mohamed Musa was abducted on Wednesday Feb. 10 and was found dead yesterday Thursday Feb. 11. I have asked Dr. Gasim to send a corrected notification]

I know you don’t know the name. I’m posting this because it is not the kind of thing that generally makes it into the media. But it matters. And we need to hear about it. So here is the notification I just received about the killing of Mohamed Musa Abdella Bahraldien (A friend just spoke by phone to the someone within Darfuri community at the UoK who says everyone is just very sad.)

When a vocal student can be abducted by Security Services in broad daylight and killed with impunity, why is the language of “free, fair and credible” even entering into the realm of conversation around the upcoming election?

(btw - So much for the “reform” of the National Security Act.)

———————-

Darfurian Student in University of Khartoum killed by NiSS

Name : Mohamed Musa Abdella Bahraldien

Position : Student , University of Khartoum , Faculty of Education , Mathematics section , level 3

Native town : Kabkabia , Northern Darfur State

The victim (deceased) student in University of Khartoum Faculty of Education ,level 3 . He is very active among Darfurian Students , yesterday after he was get from examination NISS Members drive truck kidnapped him from in front of main gate of Faculty of Education in Omdurman they took him to elsewhere . Today he was found in open space in Elneel town in Omdurman dead.

Abdelrahman Gasim, Darfur Bar Association

Inspired

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:42:00 +0000

I recently received an amazing opportunity and even more amazing honor, I was accepted into the Carl Wilken's Fellowship by the Genocide Intervention Network. This years new fellows numbers only 18 so I am humbled by this opportunity to learn from some amazing anti genocide activists and to be included in their ranks.

Image via Wikipedia

If you don't know who Carl Wilkens is then you should look him up. The man is hero and a shinning example of what it means to be selfless. During the Rwanda Genocide Mr. Wilkens opted to stay behind instead of leaving with his family. Mr. Wilkens saved countless lives during those days and I am humbled to be a part of the organization bearing his name. But I must admit I am bit nervous as well.

I have often described the "light turning off in their eyes" when the topic of genocide or Darfur comes up with other people and when I say that I see that light go out I literally mean I see it. This is the most frustrating part of activism for me and from what I can tell its the leading reason why people just give up and throw in the towel. If no one else is going to care then why should I continue to waste my time.

This is something that crosses my mind about as often as eating vegetables with dinner crosses the mind of my 17 year old son, rarely. But I would be lying if I told you that doubt and intimidation don't rear their ugly heads from time to time. But now that I am a member of the this fellowship I am coming to realize that I am not alone in this struggle. That support network is the main reason that I applied for this fellowship and I am so very looking forward to utilizing it.

I have said it more then once before and I will die screaming it from the roof tops, the true cause of crimes like genocide is simple, it's apathy. Apathy not only allows the perpetrators to disassociate themselves from their victims, it allows the international community, the bystanders if you will, to turn their heads and act powerless. The very fact that the vast majority of the international community can look away while millions are killed is the only direct indication that one needs to see that apathy has set its roots deep within our society. And it is this apathy that we activists fight everyday. And believe me when I tell you, its a lonely uphill fight.

I like to think that I help unravel the tangled web of this conflict for the common reader, that help distinguish the x's and the O's. Seeing as the Darfur conflict is filled with so many interlacing components there is much to explain and write about. And now I know that there are a lot of people to write about it. I know that I now more then every I am not alone in my efforts. And that is why I would like to share my venue with them, allow them to tell their their stories and speak their minds.

I am opening the door to my fellow Carl Wilkens Fellows, of 2009 and 2010, and I am hoping to spot light a fellow fellow at least once a month and share with everyone what they have done, are doing, and their personal journey along the way.

It is important that we open the door of dialogue to each other, that we share our stories and experience so we not just better understand the genocide in Darfur or genocide as a whole but to better understand each other and how we can all help one another.

Thank you.

Election Sham in Sudan

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:12:00 +0000

I am part of a email list of Darfur related organizations and one member, Mohamed Suleiman, released this news today about the upcoming election in Sudan. Though it has long been obvious that these "free" elections were anything but free, this news still does not bode well for the future of a free Sudan.

Image via Wikipedia

"The coming elections in April will not only be a sham, but now are marred with ugly conspiracies that will guarantee that Omar al-Bashir and National Congressional Party (NCP) will win without considerable challenge.

The leaders of the northern opposition groups who once bitterly complained about fraud in registration, no freedom of expression or organizing, and the heavy hand of Government of Sudan in security, now have changed their minds. Just few days ago many of them were contemplating boycotting the elections altogether for being a sham.

There are 4 major norther opposition parties in Sudan:

1- Ittihadi party (headed by Mirghani).
2- Umma party - has two branches (one headed by ElSadig Almahdi, the ther by his cousin Mubarak Almahdi).
3- The Popular Congress party (headed by Elturabi - former NIF leader).
4- The Sudanese Communist party (headed by Nugud).

Yesterday, Saturday, the Ittihadi came out with stunning declaration: The leader of the party, Mirghani, declared that he will endorse Omar al-Bashir for the presidency of Sudan. He has directed all his followers to support and vote for Omar al-Bashir as President.

Yesterday, The Communist Party nominated its leader to run for presidency. Also the party declared that it will participate in the "elections" on all levels. These are the same elections that the leaders of the party till recently call it "will be fraud elections". Now till yesterday, most of the Northern communists, leftists, and liberals are among the most enthusiastic supporters of Yasir Arman, the nominee of SPLM for presidency.

A few days ago, Elutrabi party have decided to participate in the elections and nominated a Muslim Southerner for presidency.

A few days ago, The Umma Party, both branches, decided to participate fully in the very elections that they recently stated no chance of being free and fair.

So why the sudden change?

Some observers in some Sudanese media say that there were intense secret negotiations between the NCP and the Northern opposition parties to keep the status quo. To keep the power and wealth of the nation in the same hands of the northern elite. The NCP promised sharing of power and wealth after the elections with the northern opposition parties if they just participate in the elections.

The African Darfuris, almost unanimously, are the only group in Sudan who steadfastly call for the boycotting the coming elections as a sham.

These latest moves by the Northern opposition parties. will definitely weakens the stand of SPLM in the election in the North. "

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:16:00 +0000

Today, In Sudan a young girl was raped while gathering wood for her family, a little baby died from diarrhea, and a mother waited in line for hours at a over crowded refugee camp to receive food rations that in total amount to only 1,017 calories. That's only slightly more then a small size Big Mac Value meal.

Image via Wikipedia

They didn't ask for any of this. For six years, the innocent people of the Darfur region of Sudan have suffered horrible human rights abuses and have been forced from the their homeland into overcrowded refugee camps. Rape, murder, and suffering have become common place in their daily lives. The statistic are so disturbing that most people refuse to look at them anymore. God forbid someone, like me, try to bring them up in conversation.

President Omar al-Bashir, after being indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity, decided to change his weapons from guns and machetes to starvation and rape by kicking out some 16 different aid organizations that were vital to the survival of the people.

I have signed countless petitions and started more then my fair share. I have written emails to Senators, Representatives, Newspapers, TV news stations, and Mr. Obama himself. And I have done all of this from the same place that I write this posting. The comfort of my safe, warm, home. There is a elephant in the room and that elephant is the fact that we are failing the people of Darfur and Sudan in general. Horribly.

Though Technology has brought us all closer and though it offers us all with an avenue to learn more about each other, in the case of the efforts to end the genocide in Darfur it has been ultimately a failure. Think about it, without raising our lazy butts from our computer chair at work or home we click a few buttons and add our name to a petition or open letter to the President that asks him to do more for Darfur. We send emails to our Congressional representatives saying that Darfur is important and asking them to make it a priority. We send requests to sign on to same letter or petition to all our friends via email, Facebook and Twitter and within a few hours the signatures are piling up. Before we know it there are 50,000 signatures. How can they ignore all these signatures you think to yourself. Then, as your email/letter/petition gets sent to its target destination, feeling good about ourselves, we go out for a gigantic lunch and curse traffic from our luxury vehicles.

But how much have our emails, petitions, open letters, tweets, or Facebook updates really helped?

The proof is in how our current administration has reacted to the continued genocide and the expulsion of major aid organizations since they have taken office. While the genocide continued and Bashir kicked out the only organizations providing those suffering with any relief, this administration has appointed a envoy that likes use terms like "gold starts" and "carrots" and they have released a overdue and mostly confidential Sudan Policy. Ever wonder what they did with all those petitions and letters that we all "signed" and sent? With one click of the delete button they turn off the issue like most people turning the channel when the genocide gets its annual three minutes of TV time.

Technology has been great at getting the word out and educating people about Darfur but its time for us realize that it is completely ineffective at provoking our government into action. Its time for this movement to go low tech, maybe not completely but to some degree. We need to hit the streets and pound the pavement. We need to line the streets in front of Congress and the White House with hordes of people not asking for this administration to live up to its promises to the people of Darfur but demanding it. We need to pick up the protest signs and remind our politicians that if they want our vote come re election time then they need to listen to the will of the people that employ them.

What happened to the days of bullhorns and protest signs? What happened to hands raised and fists pumping in unity? We need a revival, we need to go old school, shut down traffic and fill the streets. We may feel like we have done all we can but are willing to do what we must?

January 19th is the anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the 22 year North-South Civil war. Its the day chosen by people and organizations around the world to show their support for the people of Sudan. This is your opportunity to help take this movement to new heights. Join an event near you or start one yourself.

Lets stop getting things done and start making things happen.

News Update

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:55:00 +0000

Here is a news update on what is happening in Darfur. As the people of Sudan continue their peaceful protests against their oppression, I would like to encourage you to take some type of action to show your support. I will be putting up a new article at some point this week so please check back often and once again please continue to support the people of Sudan.

1) Today the Government of Sudan is suppressing another
peaceful demonstration, leaders from North opposition parties
detained

2) Ask your Senators to sign the Feingold-McCain letter and tell the Obama administration to lead for peace in Sudan.

3) MSF reporting 2K dead and 250K displaced in South Sudan this year

4) Tear gas, clashes in Sudan. Is opposition to Bashir becoming more forceful?

5) Darfur kidnap victim 'happy' 100-day ordeal over.

6) “Violence Grips South Sudan as Vote Nears,” a great narrated slideshow by the New York Times’ Jeffrey Gettleman

Thank you,
Corey Dragge

Darfur News Update

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:12:00 +0000

Here is your news update on what is happen in Darfur and within the movement. Please take a few moments to look over these articles and as always please continue to Champion Darfur.

Thank you,
Corey Dragge

~~~~~~~~~~

Report by UN Panel of Experts says expulsion of aid workers from some parts of Sudan has left rape victims in Darfur vulnerable.
Read Article here .

Watch Yesterday's webcast as Special Envoy to Sudan Gen. Scott Gration and National Security Council Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs Samantha Power field questions from Save Darfur and STAND

Sudan to close down Darfur IDP camps in early 2010. Forced relocation into housing or back to unsafe villages. Read Article here.

Student Activists Encourage White House to Raise Anti-Genocide Concerns about Darfur.

How we can help Obama's new policy achieve peace in Darfur.

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:13:00 +0000

On Monday, the Obama Administration released its long awaited policy on Sudan. Announced by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who in a show of unity was accompanied by Special Envoy to Sudan General Scott Gration and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice and to date it has gotten mixed reactions from the international community. It is my personal fear that these disagreements or differences of opinion on the Sudan Policy will be figurative nail in the coffin for any kind of foreseeable peace in Sudan.

Sam Bell, the executive director of the Genocide Intervention Network, called the policy "thoughtful and well-crafted" where as Senator Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, expressed grave concern stating “such a policy is engagement to the extreme, and blind to fundamental principles of justice.." With leaders on this topic and in this field straying in different directions on the current policy plan what kind of message are we sending to the rest of the world? How is this arguing actually helping the people of Darfur?

The newly released policy correctly calls for not just an immediate end to the genocide in Darfur but the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) as well. The CPA is absolutely vital to achieving peace in Darfur. The CPA ended a 20+ year civil war between the North and South of Sudan that left millions dead and displaced. The implementation of the CPA is vital for many reason but most obvious is the fact that if it fails peace in Darfur will be impossible as all of Sudan will likely fall back into civil war.

Now the only reason that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir signed the CPA in the first place was because of extreme pressure placed on his government by various other world governments and the international community. So it stands to reason that the same amount of pressure or more will need to be applied to Bashir yet again to get him to actually follow through. If given the opportunity Bashir would love nothing more then to sabotage the CPA and attempt to retake the oil rich south of Sudan. But how are we going to help apply this much needed pressure if we are all to busy arguing amongst ourselves?

The time is now, come on people, we are wasting the one thing that the innocent people of Sudan don't have and that is time. The President didn't just release a Sudan policy that involves clowns and hoops of fire did he? This policy has its flaws sure but it also has some meat to it as well. Instead of standing on the sidelines pointing fingers and expecting failure so you can shout "I told you so" like some fifth grader, we need to roll up our collective sleeves and get in the mess.We need to put pressure on the Sudanese Government as well as our own.

For this policy to materialize into anything other then more hollow political promises, the Obama Administration must act swiftly and with resolve. If our administration should stall or waiver in any way, Khartoum will see it as a sign of weakness and continue their current course. We need our government to live up to the expectations of this policy and the only way we can assure this is if we all stand together and make it perfectly clear that any deviation will cost them the thing they value the most, votes.

President Obama: The Time is Now

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:06:00 +0000

Hello everyone, I apologize for the lapse since my last posting but I am back and re focused.

It has been 188 days since it was reported that General Scott Gration, the special envoy to Sudan, had proposed a resolution to fill the gap left by the expulsion of 16 major aid organizations from the Darfur region by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. To date, nothing has been done.

The situation only grows worse daily as the violence continues not only within the Darfur region but also those stuck within the IDP camps struggling to deal with starvation, malnutrition, and disease have been further targeted by the Government of Sudan. There have been reports that at least one IDP camp has been targeted for closure by the Sudanese Government.

Today several organizations representing over 1000 Darfuri peoples living within the U.S. sent an open letter to President Barack Obama expressing grave concern over recent attacks and the direction of U.S. policy under Special Envoy Gration.

It is time for us to let the President and our administration know that we also want to see a stronger and more proactive U.S. policy toward Sudan to achieve peace for the people of Darfur.

This was originally posted by Katie-Jay on October 6th, 2009 at Stop Genocide Now and I am re-posting in an effort to further their great efforts. I not only ask you to email the President and his administration but I also challenge you to spread the word and ask your friends to join these efforts. Use your Twitter and Facebook to reach out to everyone you know.

"In these crucial days for Darfur and all of Sudan, as violence erupts and tension builds, it is crucial to keep pressuring our leaders to do what is right for innocent civilians.

Share on Facebook

Please e-mail President Obama. Copy and paste this message, and feel free to add your own thoughts.

Dear President Obama:

Special Envoy Gration keeps talking about trust, carrots, honey, cookies, and stars as policy towards a genocidal government. However, Human Rights Watch has reported this week on new attacks in Darfur by the Sudanese government, with dozens of innocent civilians dying and several villages destroyed.

Your appointed Special Envoy to Sudan, General Scott Gration, is quoted as recently saying: “Up to now, the efforts I’ve seen make me say, ‘Yes, I’m willing to take a risk that I’ll be betrayed,’ and if that trust is violated, then I believe pressure should come.”

Innocent civilians will continue to die, as the US Special Envoy takes the risk and waits to be betrayed, over an over again by al-Bashir.

You both promised a strong policy with tough measures to ensure peace and justice come to Darfur, and it is now time for action.

Sincerely,

your name

-Please take the extra minute to send the same message to Secretary of State Clinton.

Out of the Shadows

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:50:00 +0000

One of the most common statements that I hear when I talk to people about making a donation of some kind for the people of Darfur is " I saw a report on Save Darfur that showed that almost none of the money they get goes to the people of Darfur" or "How do I know for sure what my money is going to?". So I decided that I could best help ease the minds of those interested by putting together a list of organizations that are on the ground in the refugee and IDP camps

Image via Wikipedia

helping the people in need. A list of those operating in the trenches if you will. While putting this list together I was reminded that those sacrificing the most are often the ones that go unnamed.

As I put this list or organizations together, I realized that the vast majority of them were completely unknown to me. I had been going strong as an activist for sometime so I have to admit that I was a little ashamed that I did not know about these groups. Why had I not heard about them? Why is it that these organizations, the ones that deserve our support the most, are in the shadows?

The answers to these questions are simple but what was shocking to me was the realization that the organizations doing the majority of the humanitarian work, throughout history, have been the ones that go almost completely unnoticed by the vast majority of the world. These are the groups that, in my opinion, are most deserving of our admiration, and donations, yet it is the very nature of the their work that causes them to remain in the shadows.

You see these groups are focused whole heartedly on helping those they serve. Their work is the embodiment of humanitarianism. These are the people putting their own lives at risk to ensure that no human being is left without their most basic of rights. And it is that very risk that leads them to hide in the background. Being responsible for protecting the people that work for them these groups don't "advertise" where they are working. The last thing they want to do is put their people at risk for the sake of publicity. The other reason these groups act in anonymity is even more simple, no money.

Their focus is on helping the people and every last dollar goes to that cause, raising money costs money and these groups don't have a "marketing" budget. All their funds go to achieving their goals and helping the people. There isn't enough leftover for an advertising or outreach campaign. There is no ego, no alternative motive. They simply help people. These are the people that are literally carrying the torch of humanitarianism.

So the first list I made went up on my old site but seeing as that information is out of date and Sudan's President, Omar al-Bashir, has expelled 16 of the aid organizations working in Sudan I figure it is time to update that info. Below you will find an updated list of some of the agencies working on the ground and directly helping the people of Sudan. I found this information on the ICG site and added a couple that I believe qualify.

Now that you have the list of these organizations what are you going to do? I encourage you to print this list out, share it with your church, email them to your friends, make a donation of your own or start a fundraiser, but please do something. They are deserving of our help.

Thanks you.

Action Against Hunger

Africare

AirServ

CARE

Caritas Internationalis

Catholic Relief Services

CHF

GOAL

International Committee of the Red Cross

International Crisis Group

Intermediate Technology Development Group

International Medical Corps

International Rescue Committee

Kids for Kids

Medair

Médecins du Monde

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Mercy Corps

Norwegian Church Aid

Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

OCHA - Office of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sudan

Oxfam

Presbyterian Disaster Relief

Refugees International

Save the Children

Secours Islamique

UNICEF

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

World Food Programme

Wine to Water

Opportunity Knocks

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:57:00 +0000

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you all about an great organization and a even better opportunity. The Genocide Intervention Network and the Carl Wilkins Fellowship.

Image by Genocide Intervention Network

The Genocide Intervention Network (GI-Net) was based on the idea that through simple contributions average everyday people could have a direct effect on the innocent people suffering in Darfur. With the help of these donations they established a landmark civilian protection program. Through the creation of such programs as;

STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition active in hundreds of high schools and colleges across the country.

Targeted Divestment: A campaign lobbying to divest funds from companies operating within Sudan and supporting their government financial while it continues its genocidal campaign.

1-800-Genocide: A toll free number to connect to your elected officials that also gives you up to date talking points before being connected directly to them.

DarfurScores.org: Want to know how your elected officials have voted on Darfur related legislation?

They have established an organization that empowers individuals with the tools and knowledge to help end genocide. This is one of the first organizations that I worked with when I first became active so I speak from experience when I say that they are truly focused on helping the people suffering from the worlds horrible atrocities. They helped me take my motivation and drive and produce some tangible results. But it is with the goal of ending genocide not just in Darfur but everywhere that GI-Net established the Carl Wilkens Fellowship.

From a recent email I received from GI-Net here is a great description of the program;

Launched in 2009, the Carl Wilkens Fellowship Program is a unique opportunity for individuals who care about preventing and stopping genocide and mass atrocities to become dynamic citizen leaders and effective advocates for policy at local, state, and federal levels. In this respect, the Fellowship Program seeks to bridge the gap between thought and action in the anti-genocide movement.

In its inaugural year, the Carl Wilkens Fellowship Program has worked with twenty (20) individuals from communities across the country and from a diversity of backgrounds - from retired corporate lawyers to filmmakers to computer programmers to communications specialists. Each one of them has been impacted by what is going on in Darfur, in Burma, and in other areas of the world. Through the Fellowship Program, each one of these individuals has taken it upon themselves to acquire the tools and resources to build sustained political will within their communities for the prevention and cessation of genocide.

Designed to fit the schedules of working professionals, community members with other organizational affiliations, and individuals with families, the Carl Wilkens Fellowship Program includes the following core components:
Two (2) weekend Retreats in Washington DC – the first in February and the second in September
Monthly group skills and knowledge based trainings
Monthly group check-in calls
Monthly individual mentorship calls with the Fellowship Program Coordinator
Participation in GI-NET campaigns
Regular opportunities for social networking within the anti-genocide movement and the human rights field at-large, including with alumni of the inaugural class of Carl Wilkens Fellows
Over the course of one year, the Fellowship Program provides these emerging leaders with rich training opportunities building off of, but not restricted to, the fundamentals of grassroots organizing:
Community resource mapping;
Volunteer recruitment/engagement/retention;
Messaging and media outreach;
Advocacy tactics and strategies;
Fundraising; and
Strategic planning
In addition, Carl Wilkens Fellows receive:
$1,000 stipend to use towards organizing events in their communities
Transportation to and accommodation and board at Fellowship Program Retreats

This amazing program is for those that truly want to make a difference, those in it for the long haul. If you think, scratch that, if you know that you are one of those people then please take advantage of this opportunity and apply for this fellowship. Imagine what you can accomplish with the tools you will gain from this fellowship. Take your activism to the next level.

The Carl Wilkens Fellowship 2010 application will go live on Genocide Intervention Network's website on September 1 and will be due by November 1. I encourage everyone who is interest to apply.

For further information go to the GI-Net website and contact them directly.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:53:00 +0000

I doubt that President Obama expected it to play out like this when he appointed General Gration his Special Envoy to Sudan. Instead of easing the concerns of the international community that the Obama administration is going soft on Sudan and its President, Omar al-Bashir, Gration has inflamed Darfur activists and more then his fair share of politicians with statements that keep our administration and his own boss back pedaling.

Image via Wikipedia

I mean from a completely professional prospective, I can't see how this guy is still employed. Its a shame cause we had such high hopes for him too.

General Gration began his downward spiral by downplaying what is happening in Darfur by saying that what we are witnessing in Darfur are only the "remnants of genocide". This created a massive rift between himself and Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the UN over whether Sudan is currently committing genocide or not. Rice, and the vast majority of the international community, obviously believe otherwise.

Gration decided to take his foreign policy folly on the road while on his most recent trip to the refugee camps. Apparently the international community and governments around the world have been misinformed and mislead because according to the General everything is safe now. You see General Gration told a group of refugees that they could return home to there villages. He said this as if everything was better all of a sudden. He told them to go back home to the very fertile lands they once farmed. He apparently didn't get he memo that this lands have been reoccupied by pro government Arab farmers, some of which have been brought across borders to occupy that very land. Essentially looking this group of refugees in the eye, Gration asked them to walk back into the hand of the very people that drove them out. Brilliant.

It is worth mentioning that countless activists and experts don't think that it's a coincidence that this reoccupation by pro Bashir farmers taking place during the census for what is suppose to be Sudan's first fair and free election in 2010.

But yesterday, General Gration really went above and beyond. In front of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, General Gration unleashed some verbal miscues that not only put President Obama and his administration in a bad light but enraged activists everywhere by all but confirming their fear of a weak, confused, and contradictory policy approach toward Sudan.

One of the many whopper that Special Envoy Gration let fly was...

"There's no evidence in our intelligence community that supports [Sudan] being on the state sponsors of terrorism. It's a political decision."

Oh how I would have loved to see the Presidents face when he heard that remark. His hand picked Special Envoy, the man who was suppose to be the American face of peace in Darfur, throws him under the bus by implying that the only reason that Sudan is on the list of states that sponsors of terrorism has nothing to do with the fact that they support(ed) al-Qaeda and Hamas. but that there is a political agenda. There is a plus side to this statement however. If he was looking kiss up to Khartoum he scored major points.

"Sudan's U.N. ambassador (Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad) said Friday that his government was pleased with an American envoy's assertion that there is no evidence to support the U.S. designation of Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism."

Assistant Secretary of State Crowley was doing some ducking and dodging at the daily press briefing Crowley got grilled during a exchange with a reporter when he could not answer a few simple questions with any definitive answers. The big question being is General Gration speaking for the President and his administration or is he speaking for himself. Is he part of the team or had the General gone verbally rogue?

He wants a "rollback" of sanctions that are in place against Sudan because he say they are essentially keeping him from accomplishing his job but when asked by Senator Feingold exactly what steps has the Government of Sudan taken to deserve being removed from the black list and having the sanctions lifted, General Gration feel almost as silent as when he was asked what kind of punitive measures, or "sticks" as Gration like to call them, where part of the administrations plan if the al-Bashir doesn't play nice.

My fellow blogger Mohamed E. Suleiman, a Darfur native living in the San Francisco Bay Area, summed it up perfectly when he wrote;

"The Government of Sudan has achieved its set goals when it unleashed the genocide in 2003. Now it is music to its ears to hear voices from inside the U.S. Congress and the Department of State questioning genocide, lifting sanctions, lifting the regime's name from the list of states sponsoring terrorism, telling villagers to go back, no one talks about armed janjaweed, no stress on accountability and justice, talk and talk about how things are getting better in Darfur. This is the "night of Gadri" to the regime in Khartoum (in other words " Christmas in July")."

It is painfully obvious to everyone that General Gration isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. The fact is he has managed to burying this administration in a giant foreign affair nightmare. But the saddest part of this catastrophe is that Gration, and apparently this administration, is perfectly fine with throwing away the one thing that the people of Darfur are running out of. Time.

The End of Apathy

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:26:00 +0000

If someone were to sit down and literally document every last difference between living here in United States and living in a refugee camp I imagine that would be one extensive list, a list full of the things that we take for granted, a list that none of us would want to read.

I am going to go out on a limb here but I believe that the vast majority of Americans are sick and tired of feeling like they need to feel guilty for living the way we do, for having easy access to all we could possible need and want. You don't think we have it that good? Try a three day fast for Darfur and I can tell you, from experience, that you will quickly realize just how accessible food is in our society. But it is not our fault we were born here and they were not right? Why should we feel bad about that? We shouldn't and that is why I see people become angry or defensive when I bring up the topic of Darfur.

People don't want to hear about it, know about it or learn about it so they literally chose to be ignorant about it. If they don't know then they feel that they have some presidential type of plausible deniability and they can sleep at night. They don't want to feel guilty and they don't want to care. I see it in people day after day.Even mention the word "Africa" and you can literally watch the light go out in their eyes.

It is this very desensitization to gross atrocities, poverty, to Africa, that manifests into more then a high burnout rate for activists. You see within in this void of self imposed ignorance breeds the very thing that fuels some if not all of histories greatest atrocities and that thing is apathy. Think about it, without apathy what do you think the odds are that the holocaust would have happened or lasted as long as it did? What about the genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia, and Bosnia?

I have been an activist for the people of Darfur for over 3 years now. I have raised money for the groups on the ground working directly with those effected and I have talked to politicians and their advisers but for sometime now I have felt like I was missing something. Like all my efforts were not completely wasted but not completely utilized either. It was not until I was asked to speak to my son's summer school class that I realized how to better serve this cause.

At the same time that I was scheduled to speak to his class, Gabriel Stauring and the I-Act team were doing daily video and blog updates while on another trip to the refugee camps in Chad. I have made it a habit to watch and read their updates since I can't go to the refugee camps yet and this allows the refugees and their stories to come to me, to us all. I have long admired the passion that Gabriel has for his work and he has surrounded himself with a truly amazing team. Anyway, through Facebook and Twitter I contacted him and asked him if he would be willing to send this class a video message, a closing statement to my presentation, directly from the refugee camp. I was overjoyed when they said they would. And it was when I showed the class this video, sent from the refugee camps directly to them just the day before, that I saw the light in their eyes come on. They got it. And so did I.

You see the only way to fight apathy is to climb that seemingly insurmountable wall of resistance and to educate. But I am not talking about just educating the international community but those affected as well, the refugees. Education is the great equalizer. That is not to say that the political and humanitarian activism are not key parts to the puzzle of peace for Darfur, they are but education was my missing puzzle piece. Each piece of this puzzle; politics, humanitarianism, and education, provide a necessary element of peace. Politics provide a safe environment for peace to grow, humanitarianism provides the people with hope and education provides them with a future. Without any one of the elements there is no lasting peace.

We should keep signing petitions, keep making phone calls, and writing letters. We should keep throwing parties, keep selling cookies, and keep raising funds. But if we are truly going to help provide the people of Darfur some type of realistic peace we can't forget to educate. We should host a movie screening, talk to a class of kids, keep listening to their stories and support refugee education programs. Do anything and everything we can to fight the apathy that fuels the atrocities we wish to end.

What have you done to educate people about genocide? About Darfur? What interesting and "different" ways have you fought apathy?

Corey Dragge is a long time activist and has worked with various Darfur related organizations. Currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada he has started a genocide education project in hopes of speaking to at least one class in every high school in Nevada.

Darfur and the 2010 Election

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 04:13:00 +0000

Lately in the news, what articles I do see about Sudan are about the upcoming election in 2010. These scheduled elections were agreed upon in a peace deal after a bloody civil war between the north and south but many people don't realize how the conflict in Darfur plays a major role in these elections.

Under the 2005 peace deal - the Comprehensive Peace Agreement -that ended more than two decades of civil war between north and south Sudan, there is a scheduled election and this election is key to maintaining peace between the north and south as well as possibly taking a step toward peace in Darfur. But as is the case with most things involving the Government of Sudan and it's president, Omar al-Bashir, there are problems.

A BBC report from the 25th of July states that the head of the UN's peacekeeping force, Alain Le Roy, is concerned that the millions of Darfur refugees will not be able to vote because of the disputed census and their displacement into IDP camps. This is fantastic if your al-Bashir though, what hypocritical tyrant wouldn't want millions of pissed off and disenfranchised people left off of the voting register.

Le Roy also said that large scale violence and citizen displacement were no longer "hallmarks of the crisis". News flash to the UN.....the reason we aren't seeing these "hallmarks of the crisis" is because you, the UN, sat on your hands for the last six years while al-Bashir ran buckshot in Darfur. You can't let him kill and displace everyone and then claim some kind of peace, sorry it doesn't work that way.

The Sudan Tribune reported today however that the chairman of the North Darfur higher electoral committee, Al-Sir Ahmed Al-Mak, said that the IDP camps were included in the demarcation process but the census director of North Darfur, Ms. Wafaa Hassan Mansour, stated that the census would not take place in the Northern IDP camps because they are "not accessible". What? I am sorry Ms Mansour but if these camps are so inaccessible then how did millions of refugees find their way there? Might I suggest your census takers do the same thing those refugees had to do and hike across the desert to the camps.

She further stated that the IDPs have protested the census and threatened to attack the census takers so, here is the kicker, the Central Bureau of Statistics has decided to estimate the populations of the IDPs and other areas deemed "unsafe". How do they plan to estimate the populations of these area you ask? They are going to base their numbers on information from humanitarian agencies working in Darfur.

This works out fantastic for al-Bashir as they just expelled the largest humanitarian groups, claiming they were in league with the International Criminal Court and responsible for the subsequent warrant issued against him for crimes against humanity, and they have hand picked the relief agencies allowed back in to fill that void. Now they can claim low IDP camp populations with false information strong armed with the threat of expulsion from hand picked humanitarian agencies. By claiming lower populations in these areas the Government of Sudan can ensure Darfur receives less representation in the 2010 elected national parliament and ultimately keeping him in control. That is of course if the elections actually take place.

Last month, the Government of Sudan pushed back the date of the election two months to April of 2010 and this is the second time they have moved the election date back.

But lets be honest with each other for a second shall we. After over two decades of totalitarian rule do we really believe that al-Bashir is going to let Sudan have its first fair and free election? Not a chance. Even if the election does happen it is pretty obvious that it will be far from "fair" and will be highly contested. With the protection of China and Russia, al-Bashir has manged to almost empty Darfur while being free of any real consequence from the UN. And with the U.S. administration waffling on any firm Darfur policy why would he risk losing any of his power? The writing on the wall is clear as day, without more "Sticks" and less "Carrots" al-Bashir will thwart the peace process and the election to retain absolute control.

Unless the international community and the governments of the world force his hand, we will get more of the same from Omar al-Bashir. Crazy is running into the same wall repeatedly expecting a different result each time. Expecting al-Bashir to change his ways when we never do anything to stop him is just plain stupid.

Corey Dragge is a long time activist and has worked with various Darfur related organizations. Currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada he has started a genocide education project in hopes of speaking to at least one class in every high school in Nevada.

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Darfur is the Obama Catch 22

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:18:00 +0000

Its been awhile since my last post and all I can tell you is that I have been trying to figure out how to best utilize my skills and passion for human rights to best help the people of not just Darfur but everywhere.

I don't like the way that this administration is handling the Darfur genocide especially

Image via Wikipedia

considering the fact that while campaigning they all spoke so adamantly about taking strong action against the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

If you have any question about how frustrated I am please refer back to previous post. That being said, I do understand the political dilemma they are dealing with. The political situation that Darfur presents to the Obama administration is very troubling and one that leaves them in a risky catch 22. Behind every door of action there seems to be the potential for some pretty scary political fallout.

If they take the aggressive military approach, spitting human rights hell and brimstone, they could further our growing international imagine as Muslim hating bible-thumpers. Lets face it, with troops already in Iraqi and Afghanistan we are projecting a very unsavory international imagine thus making another military move into yet another Muslim country highly unlikely. But what about sanctions?

We could up the sanctions against Sudan and its oil and chemical production industries and this is an option that I have promoted. Since the vast majority of profits from these industries is rifled right back into Sudan's military to fund the militias and their campaign in Darfur it makes sense to target these industries. To impose severe and serious sanctions could pressure their government to rethink their current position but as simple as this sounds it is anything but.

China, a country with its own horrible human rights history, is a heavy player in Sudan. Not only do they provide Sudan with the vast majority of Sudan's crude oil extraction expertise but is their primary buyer of the end product as well. If we are going to impose serious sanction against companies that operate within the target markets of oil and chemical production we will be targeting government owned Chinese companies. So what is the problem you ask? Well as of April of this year, China owns $763.5 billion in good old fashion United States Treasury bonds. Not a little problem, a big one. The truth is we have long been economically tied to China. The largest exporter to the largest importer.

Now one could argue, and I have, that these Treasury bonds ultimately mean nothing. Some people, and rightfully so, project China as the new big dog on the block but they worry that these bonds could be used to crash the value of the dollar if China decided to cash them in but if there is one thing our current recession should have taught us is that if our economy crashes so will others. It is true that we are tied to China but they are equally tied to us. We could sanction those Chinese companies and we may catch heat but it is my belief that that ultimately China would have to chose. This puts China on the spot. This would put them in the spotlight for something not so glorious as the Olympics.

Even still this does come with some potentially harsh political fallout for Obama and company. The AU (African Union), which represents 53 countries in Africa, has rejected the ICC's

Image via Wikipedia

(International Criminal Court) recently issued arrest warrant for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir for crimes against humanity. This implies that any push from the U.S. on this matter could spark relations issues with not just Sudan but with countless other African countries.

Everywhere they look there are political landmines all across this issue. This is why the previous administration did nothing and that is why this administration is showing signs of continuing that trend. They will search and search for the most effective course of action with the least amount of political fallout and they will always come to the same conclusion. Any action, meaningful action that is, is going to come with a price and the people of Darfur need someone willing to pay.

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Failure in Darfur

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:24:00 +0000

Dear President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner.

I would like to take this opportunity to have a very frank talk with all of you about your complete failure to respond to the genocide in Darfur. The vast majority of Darfur activists, me included, are tired of waiting for you act half as strong as your promises sounded.

Mr. Vice President, let me start off by reminding you what you had to say about the situaiton in Darfur while you were at the CNN/YouTube Democratic Debate;

"I am so tired of this...let's get right to it, I heard the same argument after I came back from

Image via Wikipedia

meeting with Milosevic (Slobodan Milosevic, former Yugoslavian leader of the Serbs' genocidal campaign against Muslims and Croats in the 1990s) "we can't act", "we can't send troops there" where we can America must, why Darfur? Because we can. We should now, those kids will be dead by the time the diplomacy is over..."

Talk about not pulling any punches! Truer words have never been spoken Mr. Vice President. It's to bad they were as hollow as a jack-o-lantern 4 days after Halloween.

You say you've have had it? Well sir I have had it! All the Darfur activists have had it. Any hope of this administration actually taking a stance, actually doing any of the number of things you said you were going to do to help the people of Darfur is slipping away. Heck at this point the Vegas odd are probably better that Omar al-Bashir will win the Nobel Peace Prize before this administration actually takes action to secure peace for Darfur.

While you, Mr. President and Mrs. Secretary, were campaign in Nevada for the Democratic nomination, I got to speak with both you about Darfur. Mr. President, I spoke with you at a town hall meeting at Del Sol High School and I spoke with you, Secretary Clinton at your post debate rally. Matter of fact, let me start with that brief exchange, Secretary Clinton. Mr. President I am saving you for last.

Mrs. Secretary, I spoke with you very quickly as you walked the rail shaking hands and taking photos. Our exchange was so brief that am near positive you don't remember it but I told you that I hoped you felt as strongly as I did about bringing peace to the people of Darfur and you, less then 3 feet away from me, looking me dead in the eyes said "I feel very strongly about it". I asked you to use divestment as a tool to pressure the Sudanese Government and you said "It is a powerful tool that we need to utilize".

Well then utulize it already! What are you waiting for?

In April of 2006 President Bush created Executive Order 13400 which grants Treasury Secretary Geithner and yourself the power to essentially cut off the Sudanese Oil and Chemical Production industries from ALL investment money from the United States. Since we know that 70% of Sudans profits from those two markets are shuttled right back into funding their military and Janjaweed militias you can imagine the dent it could make in their efforts. With one swoop you could basically divest America from a government and a conflict that has been deemed to pose "an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States". Mrs. Secretary, your husband once said that failing to act in Rwanda is his greatest regret as president. Your lack of action, not just your failure to use the powers already granted you in E.O. 13400, but any significant action makes it perfectly clear that you are willing to make that same mistake. Where's the alarm you promised to sound for Darfur now?

Mr. President, at the town hall meeting, I asked you if you would use targeted divestment at a state and federal level as tool to pressure the Sudanese Government much like divestment was used to help end apartheid in South Africa. After you rattled off a long list of Darfur related accomplishments and explained the situation a bit, you said that pressuring the Sudanese government through the use of divestment would be not only effective but a viable alternative to military action. Since taking office you have appointed a Special Envoy and had some meetings. You promised me more, you promised us all more, but most importantly you promised them more and sir to be honest you are failing them all tragically.

Image by Angela Radulescu via Flickr

I know you are trying to repair our global reputation and that your worried that too harsh of a reaction to the Darfur issue would further damage our foreign relation with other Muslim nations. But let me remind you taht while the slow wheels of democracy continue to roll, thousands of innocent people from Darfur continue to suffer. Allowing the atrocities to continue in Darfur does not help our reputation globally or in the Muslim community, as a matter of fact I would dare to say that our failure to react to the Darfur conflict is only further rooting the stigma that we are human rights hypocrites.

When it comes to defending human rights we are all bark and no bite. Whether it's the fragile North - South Peace Accord, dealing with China and Russia, or jeopardizing the flow of anti terrorism information that we get from Sudan, you have amply excuses to do little or nothing and you seem willing to hide behind them. When it comes to Darfur, this administration is truly starting to look like its "All Hat and No Cattle"

Your Special Envoy, General Gration, said that only the "remnants of genocide" remain in Darfur, that we don't see the "coordinated attacks" anymore. Let me clarify something to you, this isn't peace achieved, its the beginning of peace through defeat. Of course the attacks have dwindled down, the Sudanese government has achieved the vast majority of its genocidal goals. Close to 400,000 dead and millions displaced and Al-Bashir did this through the use of torture, murder, rape and starvation. There are only two ways a genocide can end sir. Either the aggressor will be forced to stop and submit to justice or the aggressor achieves their goals or enough of them that they can claim victory. Peace, the kind of peace the people of Darfur deserve, the kind of peace you promised is only achieved through the first option while the second option leaves only submission.

Sorry Mr. President but the buck stops with you. At the end of the day its your responsibility to ensure that this government lives up to not just all its promises but all its potential. In this regard, to date, I am deeply disappointed in you sir.

Keep your word, bring peace to the people of Darfur

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:26:00 +0000

Join us as we demand that the Obama administration live up to its promise to take meaningful action and bring peace to Darfur.

Image by vonbergen.net via Flickr

Since President Obama and his administration has taken office, the Sudanese Government and President Bashir has continued its genocidal campaign with impunity, expelled the largest humanitarian aid organizations from Darfur, terrorized and bombed refugee camps across the border in Chad, and continued its use of rape as a weapon of war.

In response our government, after making all those promises, has appointed a Special Envoy to Darfur and had a few high level meetings to discuss our options. This will not do. The longer our administration waits the more people are killed, more women are raped, and more children starve. The time for meetings is over. Its time for action.

Help us reach our goal of 10,000 signatures.

Keep your word, bring peace to the people of Darfur - The Petition Site

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Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Thu, 14 May 2009 04:30:00 +0000

Day 3, the final day, of my fast was much like I expected. I was super tired and mentally disconnected but I was functioning.

I learned a lot about myself and a lot about how good we have it. Its one thing to go without by your choosing, knowing that in the end you would easily obtain that which you obtained from. Its something totally different to go without simply because there is none. I did not fast as some type of representation of the starvation going on in the refugee camps in Chad and Sudan, I did it as a representation at my outrage at the governments of the world, the international community, and even myself. They, we, us and yes, me have either done nothing or not nearly enough.

When then Senator Obama was campaign in Nevada for my vote I got the chance to attend a town hall meeting at Del Sol High School. I wore I bright orange shirt that simply stated "I vote for Darfur", matter of fact you can see me in far right of the photo above. After his stump speech, he took questions and I was chosen to ask. I could have asked about the economy, immigration, or a million other things but my topic was obvious, I asked Senator Obama about using divestment at a state and federal level as a way to influence or pressure the Government of Sudan. His answer was straight and to the point, his voice unfaltering. In a nutshell his answer was yes. He said that he would do something to help the people of Darfur. To date, other then sending over a special envoy to Sudan to view the situation, we are still waiting for the Obama administration to do something. Everyday that this administration waits, studies the situation, analysis options, is another day that people die.

What is there to study about starvation? Its pretty simply really...people are not eating so they die. I can not think of one single justifiable reason for our government or any other governments undeniable failure to help these people.

Politically there are road blocks and fears about pressuring Sudan but until you decide what to do what is stopping our government and others from supporting the refugee camps in Chad? We have to take the politics out of the equation, because once you do the answer is simple...we can't let these people starve to death, we can't.

Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Wed, 13 May 2009 02:42:00 +0000

Well day 2 of the Darfur Fast is coming to an end and things are getting both better and worse. Physically, I feel a little weak but all in all I am ok but mentally.... I am ready to crumble.

Image via Wikipedia

I never really realized how much food we have here in the states until now. Everywhere I looked there were bags of chips, pretzels, soda, candy, and the like. Sure they are just snack food items but they are food none the less. Tempting me, calling out to me, they were everywhere I looked. I didn't bother going down to the EDR (Employee Dinning Room) for break or lunch because I knew the smell and sight of all that food would probably break me.

I can't imagine living with this type of hunger. I was talking to someone at work today about my fast and about Darfur and mentioned that living with type of hunger has got to be horrible. Apparently they missed my point all together as the response I got was "for us yes, but they are use to it so its no big deal to them". Being use to being hungry does not make it OK or right. Its is almost like they figured that since the people of Darfur have been living on so little for so long that some how these people were able to change their bodies physical need for nutrients. Like they are fine on the 1,017 calories A DAY that most refugees are getting. 1,017 calories is less then half of the normal daily recommended amount.

Just looking around today and thinking of all the times during the day that I normally ate, not just at normal meal times but all the snacks in between, I can't begin to imagine how many calories I was putting away.

I want to stress that I am not making a value judgment about myself or anyone else, I don't feel guilty for living in a place where food is readily available. I do feel a bit guilty for taking it for granted for so long. Only when you see how good we have it here can we start to understand how bad the situation is there.

I am 48 hours into my 3 day fast. I have lost 7 pounds. I feel weak and mentally disconnected. I am tired. I can't imagine living like this for years on end with no immediate hope in sight. We have to do something.

Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:12:00 +0000

Well today was the first day of my fast for Darfur. It started off with the typical rush around the house to get ready for work. Since I live with three females this means that there is a ton of hair to be done, shoes to be decided on, and of course breakfasts to be made. I just powered through and filled my super sized massive water jug as I got ready for the day.

Of course as the day continued things got harder. I found myself feeling sluggish and a lingering headache set in. Those that have done this before say that this is pretty common as your body detoxes. By lunchtime I was focusing on staying busy so that I did not think about the hunger.

I made it through the rest of the work day by staying busy and much like when I quit smoking, I realized it has a lot to do with mind over matter. Still this is far more difficult then I expected.

During the course of my day a few people, including my wife, expressed some concern over my plan to fast for 13 days. She has fasted twice before and she expressed some concern because my work is fairly physical so I burn a lot of calories every day. That coupled with the fact that my wife is having major ACL surgery on Thursday has lead me to rethink the 13 day goal. I don't think that she wants to have a grumpy, hungry husband taking care of her after her surgery and I don't blame her.

It is looking more like a 3 day fast but we will see.

Regardless, I am glad I am doing this. To put myself through this, to test my limits a little, and to make a personal statement as to how important and how desperate this situation in Darfur has gotten.

To think that millions of refugees from Darfur deal with hunger like this on a daily basis is shocking. No one should live like this.

As the headache seems to be growing I am going to call it a night with day 1 complete.

13 Day Fast

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:40:00 +0000

Image by Genocide Intervention Network via Flickr

Not to long ago, I met with two of Senate Leader Harry Reid's foreign affairs advisers at his office here in Las Vegas to discuss what was happening in Darfur, Sudan and the ways that we thought that the great state of Nevada could help.

It was a great experience and I really enjoyed it. Honesty, it was EXTREMELY nice to have a conversation with people who not only know about Darfur but all the politics behind it. It was nice to geek out about foreign affairs.

We discussed the aspects of this conflict, the fall out from al-Bashir's decision to expell the 13 aid organizations, the potential effects to the country of Chad as refugees flood the camps and how the divestment of pension funds in the state of Nevada can help.

Well yesterday, I received a letter from Harry Reid thanking me for meeting with his advisers ad I thought that was pretty cool, not just because it was a nice thing to do but because I was about to embark on form of activism that I have never tried before, fasting.

Starting on Monday, I am going on a 13 day water only fast, one day for each aid organization expelled from Darfur by

Image by openDemocracy via Flickr

Sudans President Omar al-Bashir. I am joining the thousands of people who are fasting right now with fastdarfur.org, people who want to express their personal outrage at the lack of action taken by the governments of the world and U.N. as millions suffer in Darfur. Mia Farrow recently ended her fast because of her doctors orders and Sir Richard Brason, the guy who started Virgin, picked up the torch for her. Recently Congressman Donald M. Payne, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, also joined the fast. Thousands have joined and I felt the need to as well.

I don't think that whether or not I scarf down a plate full of orange chicken is going to save lives in Darfur, at least not directly, but I do think that through this fast we can raise awareness. For me, that is most important thing that I can do to help bring peace in Darfur. I take this very personally.

As a father of three amazing children, as a husband to the most supportive wife alive, and as a human being on this earth I am outraged that the "civilized" countries of the world can sit ideally by while hundreds of thousands for people are butchered, while little girls are raped, while some of the worst human rights atrocities this world has seen continue.

I will post a daily report of my fast starting tomorrow so please check back.

What is Darfur? Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:21:00 +0000

In my last posting we discussed the Who, What and Where of the Darfur genocide and in this posting we will go over the When, How and Why.

When (did this all start):

Officially, the rebellion started in February 2003 against the Arab-dominated Sudanese government, with two local rebel groups — the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLA) — accusing the government of oppressing non-Arabs in favor of Arabs, citing failure to protect local villagers from attacks by nomadic groups, and economic marginalization of the region.

It is worth mentioning that tensions in the region had been high for some time because of a variety of factors including drought, desertification, and overpopulation.

In 1998 relatively minor clashes left more than 5000 Masalit displaced. The clashes in 1999 were bloodier, with many hundreds killed, including a number of Arab tribal chiefs when nomadic herdsmen moved south earlier than usual in search of water. The government brought in military forces in an attempt to quell the violence and establish some sense of security. Many Masalit intellectuals and notables were arrested, imprisoned, and tortured in the towns as government-supported Arab militias began to attack Masalit villages; a number of Arab chiefs and civilians were also killed in these clashes.

How (is the Government of Sudan getting away with this):

There are many "How" questions one can come up with for the Darfur conflict but I feel this is the one that deserves the most attention. People tend to believe that if something like the holocaust was happening again that the governments of the world would do something and they would know about it. So if it is happening again then how are they getting away with it.

Since the purpose of this posting is to give a quick explanation I want to point out that this is a question that is deserving of further research so I strong suggest that you take advantage of the links provided to learn more. Here is a quick explanation;

Sudan has been labeled a sponsor of terrorism since 1993. Sudan has harbored members of al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Abu Nidal Organization, Jamaat al-Islamiyya, and Egyptian Islamic Jihad, each of which are classified as a terrorist organization.

In 1998, al-Qaeda operatives based in Sudan were allegedly involved in the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Throughout the 1990s, Sudan was also accused of supporting local insurgencies in Uganda, Tunisia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.

After the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11th, 2001, the United States government quickly turned to Sudan for information on al-Qaeda and its leader Osama Bin Laden. This information become more and more important as the war on terrorism continued and al-Bashir was able to use this information like currency to hold the United States government at bay while Bashir began their scorched earth campaign in Darfur. The U.S., fearful they would lose valuable information if they imposed on the Government of Sudan in regard to Darfur, remained silent.

Sudan also sells oil to China and is a major weapons buyer for Russia. Both these countries have permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council. Since the U.S. government did not want to jeopardize their information exchange with Sudan they shifted the pressure to act on Darfur on the U.N. The problem was that every time some type of Darfur related resolution would be presented China and/or Russia would either use their veto powers to crush it or threaten to veto it unless changes were made. These changes they would damand were usually so drastic that to allow them would render the resolution useless.

Sudanese President al-Bashir has tactfully used his relationships with the United States, China, and Russia to stall for time as he continued his campaign in Darfur. But more recently he has used the refugees of this conflict as direct bargaining chips. After the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir for crimes against humanity he quickly expelled some of the largest humanitarian aid organizations from Sudan citing they were "spies" for the ICC.

Currently hundred of thousands, if not millions, are at risk of death if they do not get theses organizations back in. Knowing that the potential starvation of all these people will pull on the heart strings of the international community, al-Bashir is merely looking for a way out of his indictment from the ICC. By removing the key aid organizations he has forced the hand of the international community and the powers that be. Either back off and recind the indictment or millions will die. He has proved he is willing sacrifice millions of his own people to achieve his own agenda.

Why (is the Government of Sudan doing this?):

There are many theories as to why the Government of Sudan has decided to use genocidal tactics in this conflict but essentially it comes down to the control of power.

Since Sudan has achieved its independence, they have gone from one unstable government to the next. These governments are usually very small groups or tribes that do not really represent the people of Sudan but instead look out for themselves. The way these small groups try to stay in power is to smash any rebellion with such force and violence that no one would be willing to try another.

The North/South War was coming to a close and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) gave independence for the South in 2011, a 50-50 share of the profits from its lucrative oilfields, national elections in 2009, and 10,000 UN peacekeepers to oversee the agreement’s implementation. It wasn't long after this agreement was signed that things in Darfur began to escalate. The Government of Sudan, fearful of losing complete control of their country, manipulated ethnic tensions that had flared up in Darfur around access to increasingly scarce land and water resources. They unleashed the Janjaweed militias to attack civilian communities they claimed had links to the rebels.

I hope this all helps to make sense of this very confusing situation.

Ultimately we need to realize that though initially the finger could be pointed at the government sponsored militias when it came to the majority of the atrocities and human rights violations presently that is not the case. All parties involved have committed atrocities thus making this situation even more frustrating.

We have to realize that somewhere between the humanity and politics resides peace.

We have to realize that in cases such as this we are ALL human beings and it is the responsibility of ALL of us to stand up and defend those that can not defend themselves. At the end of the day, if we do nothing, sticking our head in sand, makes us just as guilty as those committing the crimes.

What is Darfur?

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:32:00 +0000

As a activist I do everything that I can to make sure people are at least aware of what is happening in Darfur but this doesn't mean that I am stopping everybody passing me by everyday, waving a banner with megaphone in tow. At least not everyday.

I tend to take the more subtle approach by casually bringing it up one way or another in conversation. This is more my style and allows me to ease them in to the topic. But almost every time I bring up the topic of Darfur to someone I get the same question;

Them: "So what you been up too"

Me: "Been busy with the family stuff, remodeling the house, and working on my Darfur activism"

Them: "What is Darfur"

What is Darfur. Really? Has it gotten that bad? Not only do most people not know what is going on there but they don't even know that its is a place not a thing.

According to the 2005 Tyndall Report, two years after the conflict started, the three major networks (ABC, NBC, & CBS) spent just a meager total of 26 minutes on the bloodshed. By contrast, Martha Stewart's woes and trip to the joint received 130 minutes, five times as much. I am sad to report to things haven't gotten any better since.

In 2007 the big three increased the number of total minutes that the Darfur genocide got by 5 whole minutes giving it a total of 31 minutes (ABC 19, CBS 3, NBC 9) of tv time.

In 2008, things got even worse. The big three spent a total of 11 minutes (ABC 7, CBS 0, NBC 4) on the topic of Darfur. 11 minutes. Gov. Rod Blagojevich got 122 minutes in 2008 and the millions suffering in Darfur get 11 minutes.

So yes, it has gotten that bad, people simply do not know and I am going to try to help by providing you with the basics. I will break it down it down into the classic who, what, where, when, how, and why but for the sake of time, today I will provide you with 3 of these classifications, the Where, What and Who. In next few days I will get you the rest.

Please use the links provided through out this blog to learn more about the topic.

So here we go;

WHERE (is Darfur):

The far western region of Sudan, bordering the Central African Republic, Libya, and Chad. Covering an area of approximately 197,000 square miles, Darfur is slightly smaller then Texas, larger then California, and 90% the size of France. It is divided into three federal states: Gharb Darfur (West Darfur), Janub Darfur (South Darfur), and Shamal Darfur (North Darfur). Its main towns are Al Fashir, Nyala and Geneina.

WHAT (is happening there):

In 2003, two rebel groups citing years of political, economic and social marginalization by the government, took arms and led a series of successful attacks. The Sudanese government responded by unleashing its own military and its supported Janjaweed militias on a genocidal campaign targeting not just rebel groups but the civilian populations of Darfur and killing them indiscriminately.

The governments "scorched earth" campaign first uses their Russian made Antonovs fighter jets and anti-tank helicopters to bomb and attack villages indiscriminately killing men, women, and children. When that was done the government supported and funded Janjaweed militias come in and burn the villages to the ground; they kill or steal all the live stock, and destroy anything that the people leave behind. They gang rape the women, regardless of age, and the males, infants to elderly, are tortured and killed. Those that do escape have nothing to come back to thus permanently removing them from the region.

Though we will never know any exact number, reports state that this conflict has already claimed the lives of some 300,000 people in Sudan and the number of displaced people has soared well into the millions as people flee the violence into Internal Displaced People (IDP) camps in Sudan and the refugee camps on the eastern border just inside Chad.

WHO (is involved):

Since the start of the conflict in 2003 the number of rebel groups involved has grown as division among them has caused them to fracture into separate groups and in some cases fight among themselves. Today the major rebel groups involved are:

1. J.E.M. (Justice and Equality Movement): The largest and most militarily significant rebel group in Darfur.

2. S.L.A. (Sudan Liberation Army) led by Abdel Wahid: A waining faction rebel movement led by Abdel Wahid who currently lives in excile in Paris, France.

3. S.L.A. led by Minni Minawi: Another faction of the once strong S.L.A., this faction has lost considerable support after signing a agreement with the government giving Minawi the title of "Senior Assistant" to President Al Bashir.

More to come later....

On the Ground, On the Hill

noreply@blogger.com (ChampionDarfur.com) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 23:11:00 +0000

Since I have been an activist for Darfur I have had to try to make sense of everything going on in Darfur. The Who's, What's, Why's and Whens of this conflict are really enough to make your head spin. But being committed I stuck with it and now I feel that I have a pretty firm grasp on the Darfur conflict.

I have always tried to educate others about what was happening in Darfur and why. The unfortunate truth is that the majority of people I talk to about Darfur look confused and ask what or where Darfur is. They simply do not know.

Now in no way am I blaming those that don't know. The main stream media has had a strangle hold on "reality" for Americans for quite sometime. They simply choke African issues out of the headlines and poof....Africa doesn't exist. The truth is people live in their bubbles. They don't want to deal with the real ugly stuff (like genocide), they simply want to turn on the news and let them tell us what is important. Basically some people don't care because they haven't been told to or why they should and others have given up because the whole thing is just so damn confusing. You got the Janjaweed, S.L.A., Al-Bashir, North-South War, Russia, China, Oil, Chad, ICC, J.E.M., and that's just the short list. It's a whirlwind of acronyms and atrocities.

I strongly believe that the vast majority of people in this world, after finding out about the horrible things people in Darfur are forced to go through, they want to help but the truth is they just don't know how. There are so many organizations involved and people get worried that their donation will go in someone's pocket instead of to the people that need it. Essentially, some people get frozen by confusion and fear, they give up and they end up do nothing.

There are so many ways that people can, and should, get involved so to help you get started I created two lists, On the Ground and On the Hill.

"On the Ground" is a list of agencies that are currently on the ground helping the refugees from the this conflict. These people are the ones dealing with this mess and seeing the results first hand. These are the people dealing with the malnutrition, starvation, disease, and sexual violence. This list will help you find a way to help the people directly.

"On the Hill" is a list of agencies currently lobbying our government to do something to help the people of Darfur. These people organize the rallies, inform our leaders, press the media, and refuse to let this conflict slip off into the abyss. This list will help you find a way to make some noise and get our government involved.

Now I am sure that there are more organizations that should be on these lists so if you know any that you think should be listed, please leave a comment and I will add them on my website www.championdarfur.com.

I made these lists in hopes that it will help people get involved, that is will help clear up some of the confusion. The situation in Darfur, the conflict, it is confusing in itself, helping those in need really shouldn't be hard. Get involved, get active.