DWAG Newsletter
Dear Rapid Response Network Members,
Darfur Women’s Action Group would like to truly thank you for your continued support, engagement, and action regarding the situation in Darfur and Sudan.
As you may already know, the genocide in Darfur is entering its 20th year. For many, the new year brings hope and optimism; a chance for a clean slate and to start anew. In Darfur, a clean slate is an extravagance not afforded to the millions whose lives have been uprooted by genocide and war. Innocent people remain displaced, unable to reunite with their families and return home. As the Earth continues to turn, the eyes of the world have moved on to other tragedies, despite the war in Sudan being worse than ever. At DWAG, we aim to bring the voices of those most affected to the global stage by shedding light on their suffering. In this week’s newsletter, we will give you the most recent updates from Darfur and Sudan, summarize our work from the past few weeks, and share opportunities for you to get involved with DWAG and our mission. Thank you for your dedication and commitment!
Kind regards,
DWAG Team
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Highlights of the Month
DWAG president Niemat Ahmadi was featured on Vogue Magazine online and will be in the print version for the month of March to bring attention to the dire situation in Sudan read the full article here
DWAG president Niemat spoke in a panel about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Darfur at an event organized by Tahiri Institute for Middle East Policy you can watch it here
DWAG’s president will be speaking on Friday evening and Saturday morning at the Amnesty International Annual Gathering: you can watch here
DWAG’s president hosted a facebook livestream on the atrocities currently going on in Sudan. If you missed it, you can find a recording of the livestream here. We urge that you help us share the message on your social media account(s). Together, we can be the voice to bring peace and justice to Sudan!
DWAG was invited to and participated in a demonstration outside the UAE embassy in Washington D.C. The demonstration was hosted this Sunday on the 300th day of the current war in Sudan. The protests main focus was on the UAE’s funding of one of the main perpetrators of genocide in Darfur, the RSF.
On February 12th, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced a bipartisan resolution recognizing the actions of the Rapid Support Forces and allied militia in the Darfur region of Sudan against non-Arab ethnic communities as acts of genocide. While this resolution fails to recognize the atrocities of the SAF, this is a major step forward in getting the United States and the international community to focus its attention on the genocide of the Darfuri people.
A group of five Sudanese organizations have come together to form the Sudan Anti Corruption Alliance. Their goal is to help stop the war by fighting the corruption that has been extremely prevalent in Sudan since the beginning of the totalitarian Al Bashir regime
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On March 6th, after intense pressure from the international community and the UN, the Sudanese government announced that they would begin to allow “specified humanitarian aid” into the country from Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt. This comes after the government had long been preventing international aid from entering as they had been accusing Chad of smuggling supplies to the RSF.
The Swedish ambassador to Sudan, Anna Blok Mazoyer, told Radio Dabanga in an interview that the European Union is prepared to levy more sanctions against companies that support the war in Sudan. This comes after the European Union has already levied sanctions against 6 companies for financing the war.
The United States Department of State spokesperson reaffirmed their call for an end to the war, accountability for those involved in the atrocities, and a democratic transition. The United States, like the EU, plans to continue to levy sanctions against companies who continue to finance the war.
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This Month In Sudan
The war in Sudan has been raging on for the past 11 months and to many, seems unrelenting. Horrific crimes against humanity are being committed by both the RSF and SAF. It is imperative to stay up to date on what is happening in Darfur and Sudan as a whole so we can effectively advocate for justice for the people of Darfur.
Thousands have been forced to flee South Kordofan as the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North launched an attack on the RSF controlled town of Habila. Fighting lasted throughout the weekend. While there have been reports that the SPLM-N has captured the town from the RSF, these claims have not been able to be verified.
Reports of civilians fleeing the West Kordofan capital El Fula, which has been home to many of the displaced people from surrounding towns, have been coming out of Sudan over the past week. Many are fearing rumors of an RSF attack on the SAF controlled capital as much of the region aside from the capital is controlled by the RSF.
Reports have come out that RSF forces are committing attacks in the state of Al-Jazirah on over 50 villages. These raids come as a telecommunications blackout continues over much of the country. There are many reports of killings, arrests, and looting of civilians throughout Al-Jazirah.
Khartoum Bahri, a city north of the capital city of Khartoum, has seen forced evacuations in the northern and eastern areas of the city. These evacuations come as the SAF continues to attack RSF forces in Khartoum since February. The areas forcibly evacuated were already home to many displaced peoples.
RSF forces attacked the town of Habila and surrounding villages in South Kordofan after having pulled out of the area in February. Dozens of people were killed, over 40,000 were forced to flee and 15 women were kidnapped.
Fighting started again between the RSF and SAF in the capital of North Darfur, El Fasher. These clashes occurred near two IDP camps in the city and led to an unidentified number of casualties.
SAF made advances to retake the capital of El Jazirah, Wad Madani, which led to clashes with the RSF. The intense fighting led to the SAF’s retreat to El Managil in the western portion of the state.
SAF is conducting bombings in residential areas in Naeema in the White Nile state. At least one person has been killed and many more have been injured. Reports coming from the region say there are no RSF in the area of the bombings.
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What you can do to help
You can always support us by making a donation at https://www.darfurwomenaction.org/donate/
Send a letter to your representatives in both the house and the senate and urge them to take actions;
Send a letter to the editors of your local news sources;
Volunteer to become state representative and serve as DWAG leader in your state, educate and mobilize more people to action;
Make sure to join our Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) here and follow us if you have yet done so
DWAG strives to mobilize the masses in an effort to press the international community and the government of Sudan to fulfill their obligation toward the people of Darfur. We cannot do this without your support, and that is why we are calling on you to continue standing by our side. Add your voice and speak with us, so together we can mobilize the masses to help the people of Darfur one day experience justice, security, and peace!
Thank you for your time! Have a great rest of your week!
DWAG Team
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