Our Voices Matter

When We Speak We Compel Our Leaders to Listen and Act

We would like to sincerely thank you for your support and for speaking up urging President Trump not to lift sanctions on Sudan. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the Trump administration for showing the Sudanese government that they will be held accountable for their crimes.

This decision wouldn’t have been possible without your support. By speaking up, you assured the people of Sudan that they are not alone. I am pleased to convey to you the message from the internally displaced people in Darfur who expressed their gratitude to you for not forgetting about them.

Delaying the decision for three-month sends an important message to Sudan government that they will not be granted a free pass without accountability for their action

However, there is still a long way to go. While this is a great step in the right direction, it is not the end of the road. Now that we have three months ahead of us we need to double our effort to monitor the situation on ground and rally as many people as possible to speak with us in order to compel the Trump administration to pressure al-Bashir’s regime to end their criminal activities and to ensure justice for the genocide victims in Darfur and Sudan at large

There are over 4 million people in Darfur out of their homes living as internally displaced, some who have been for more than 14 years. There are also nearly a million displaced out of South Kordofan and the Blue Nile. The Janjaweed and government army continue to commit atrocities; they have not been disarmed or held accountable, and it will be impossible to create an environment that will enable peace and voluntary return for these suffering people until they are.

It is also important to note that the strong relationship with terrorist groups that Sudan has built over the course of 28 years of its ruling, it will be nearly impossible to be cut or verified in three months

There is also a symbolic undertone to sanctions; sanctions send the message saying that the United States does not condone the behavior of the Sudanese government. As of today, there are credible allegations suggests that Sudan is still sponsoring terrorist organizations and evidence of the fact that the Sudanese government is still perpetrating a bloody massacre against its own people. Lifting sanctions is the equivalent of giving the Sudanese government a pass for its actions.

We demand US leadership in holding Sudan accountable and pressure them to end the long suffering of Darfur and create an environment which allows people to return home and to achieve lasting peace with justice in Darfur and throughout Sudan.

To do so we need to ensure economic accountability through sanctions, and furthermore, we demand that the US must take more leadership to lead the international community to ensure an unhindered humanitarian access to keep people alive. Secondly criminal accountability against those responsible for crimes to create conditions and then permanent political settlement and democratic transformation in Sudan.

With our collective effort, we can make a difference.

Thank you again to all those who have signed and shared out petition! For those of you who have not, we still have 90 days to convince the administration of our cause, and with your help, we can do it.