Become an Advocate for Change in Darfur: Join the Rapid Response Network

Raise your hand if you bought a green “Save Darfur” magnetic ribbon for your car. What about a Save Darfur shirt or rubber bracelet? How many articles about the genocide in Darfur did you share in 2007 compared to how many you share today? Many US citizens were once poised to respond to the genocide in Darfur, but compassion fatigue set in and the many people who were once vocal about ending the genocide in Darfur have fallen silent.

Today the violence in Darfur continues, and the fighting has spread to other areas such as Blue Nile, South Kordofan, and the Nuba Mountains. The notorious Janjaweed continue to perpetuate violence in communities throughout Sudan—all on the orders of the central Sudanese government in Khartoum. The President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir has severely restricted humanitarian aid from reaching people in dire need of life-saving supplies; while other aid organizations have been expelled from Sudan all together. Most recently Human Rights Watch reported that mass rapes were committed during the fall of 2014. More than 200 women and girls were raped and tortured by the Sudanese army in the town of Tabit over a three day period. It is clear that the violence in Sudan continues to grow worse each day despite the lack of media attention.

If the current news coming out of Sudan isn’t enough, the numbers are staggering: more than 450,000 people have died and 2.8 million have been displaced from their homes since the violence began. Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity, yet he remains a free man due to the international community’s indifference.

The violence in Darfur and in other regions of Sudan can seem overwhelming, but there is something you can do. Darfur Women Action Group (DWAG) advocates for the people in Darfur and DWAG has a unique opportunity for you to make a difference. Join their Rapid Response Network and be on the forefront of change. As a Rapid Responder you will receive the most up to date information about the situation in Darfur; you will be included in monthly conference calls with anti-genocide activists and be well-positioned to hold community events and lobby Congress for change to the way the US handles situations of mass atrocities. Darfur Women Action Group launches this Rapid Response Network with urgency as the situation on the ground in Darfur continues to deteriorate. You have the power to become an advocate for change in Sudan.