Save Darfur

Time is running out for the people of Darfur. Four years of genocidal violence has left over 400,000 dead, 2.5 million innocent civilians displaced, and 4 million men, women, and children completely reliant on international aid for survival. Not since the Rwandan genocide of 1994 has the world seen such a calculated campaign of displacement, starvation, rape, and mass slaughter. To call attention to the escalating violence and the continued failure of the international community to adequately respond to this crisis, activists across the world have come together to plan Global Days for Darfur. This week of rallies, marches and vigils will run from April 23rd to April 30th and will highlight that "time is running out" for the people of Darfur.



Write Now
Please send a letter to the editor of your area newspaper to keep this conflict in the public spotlight.

Below are talking points to guide you when you write it. (Additional background on the conflict or recent news reports can be found on www.savedarfur.org.) Remember to keep the letter to 200 words or less and print full name, address and phone number for the paper's verification process. Many thanks.

Talking Points
In spite of the May 5 (2006) Darfur Peace Agreement, violence in Darfur is still widespread, with civilians and aid workers facing threats to their lives on a daily basis. At the same time, the World Food Program was forced to reduce its rations for the people of Darfur to below the daily minimum requirements. Elie Wiesel, recipient of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize, has called Darfur "the center of human suffering today."

You should include the points that the United States and the international community must:
• Pressure the government of Sudan to agree to a U.N. peacekeeping force to provide security and help implement the peace agreement.
• Push for a U.N. Security Council resolution to authorize the deployment of such a force with a sufficient mandate and to be in place by October of 2006.

Those who are concerned about Darfur should:
• Call President Bush and urge him to appoint a special presidential envoy to Sudan: 202-456-1111.
• Donate money for food to Darfur through the World Food Program. Details can be found at: friendsofwfp.org.
• Be in New York to rally for peacekeepers at the United Nations on September 17.
To send a letter to the:
• Connecticut Post: swinters@ctpost.com
• Hartford Courant: letters@courant.com
• New Haven Register: letters@nhregister.com
• Stamford Advocate: joy.haenlein@scni.com
• Waterbury Republican-American: opinion@rep-am.com

And don't stop there. Try to get all the papers in the state to pay attention. Feel free to mention the work of the Connecticut Coalition and the fact that we helped to get hundreds of people to the Washington rally and we will do the same for New York. Take Action — Write Letters. Write a Letter to Former President Bill Clinton. At the urging of Chris Doucot, Coalition members Marge and David Schneider composed a letter to send to Bill Clinton in the hope of inspiring him to travel to Khartoum, Sudan to influence the Bashir government to stop the bloodshed and violence in Darfur. View the letter and then send your own addressed to:

The Honorable William J. Clinton
55 W. 125th Street?New York, NY 10027

Write a Letter to the President thanking him for his commitment and including suggestions for ending the genocide. The national Save Darfur Coalition web site contains many suggestions that can be used. The mailing address for President Bush at the White House is:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Rally at The White House- Global Days for Darfur (Global Days for Darfur) Save Darfur Coalition, Amnesty International, American Jewish Committee, Darfur Interfaith Network and others will be hosting a rally in Lafayette Park on Sunday the 29th to call for international peacekeepers and an end to the genocide in Darfur. Speakers include (in alphabetical order): Sam Bell (Genocide Intervention Network), John Bradshaw (Physicians for Human Rights), Rev. Richard Cizik (National Association of Evangelicals), Larry Cox (Amnesty International), Mia Farrow (UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador), Rev. Walter Fauntroy (New Bethel Baptist Church), Crispian Kirk (NAACP), Adrienne Fricke (Harvard Law School Human Rights Program), Rabbi Steve Gutow (Jewish Council for Public Affairs), Erin Mazursky (STAND)
David Rubenstein (Save Darfur Coalition), Carla Koppell (Initiative for Inclusive Security), Mohamed Yahya (Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy)