Darfur Crisis: Background 2007 Darfur Crisis

Darfur Crisis: Background

The conflict in Darfur, Sudan, has led to some of the worst human rights abuses imaginable, including systematic and widespread murder, rape, abduction and displacement. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed by both deliberate and indiscriminate attacks, and over 2.5 million civilians have been displaced. The situation on the ground has worsened considerably over the past few months, with renewed violence, Janjawid attacks, and aerial bombing by the Government of Sudan's military. Currently, the Government of Sudan is resisting the UN Security Council mandated peacekeeping operation that is desperately needed.

Call for Pressure on Sudanese Government to Admit U.N. Peacekeepers

100 U.S. Senators and 174 Representatives signed separate letters to Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa urging him to employ all diplomatic means available to urge Sudan's President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir to halt a Sudanese government military offensive and admit UN peacekeepers in Darfur. Your elected officials can still do more to encourage the Arab League, China and Russia to press the Sudanese government to admit U.N. peacekeepers immediately and save thousands of lives.
Learn what else you can do | Read more | Download the letters in PDF: House | Senate | Read the Arab League's response

Refugees and Internally Displaced People

The conflict raging in Darfur continues to take its largest toll on civilians in the region. Over 200,000 Darfuris have become refugees in Chad, and another 1.6 million are internally displaced within Sudan. Humanitarian aid agencies have a difficult time assisting both groups due to ongoing insecurity that endangers their personnel and prevents them access to the people who need help. The spread of the conflict into Chad has also uprooted tens of thousands of Chadians who remain vulnerable to attacks by armed groups. Amnesty International USA continues to request adequate peacekeeping in the region to shield civilians from further human rights violations and create conditions that allow for meaningful assistance to all those affected by the conflict in Darfur. Learn more »

Help keep the focus on refugee and the internally displaced. This summer, thousands of AIUSA members took our ration card action. Mock ration cards were signed and printed, and a group of activists delivered them directly to Chad’s ambassador to the United States. Help us to make sure the plight of refugees and the internally displaced remains a primary concern of those working for peace in Darfur. Learn more about refugees and internally displaced persons »
^ top ^

Women in Conflict

Much of the violence perpetrated in the Darfur conflict has resulted in grave human rights violations against women. These violations against women and girls include abductions, rape and forced displacement. The only real protection being provided for Darfuri women and girls has been from African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), despite significant restrictions on its capabilities. Learn more. »
^ top ^

International Justice

Despite international outrage over the human rights crisis in Darfur, not a single person responsible for war crimes or crimes against humanity has been brought to justice. In March 2005, however, the U.N. Security Council passed a historic resolution calling for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the crimes committed in Darfur. The ICC is the world’s first, permanent, international judicial body capable of prosecuting individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so. Learn more. »
^ top ^

Reports

Protecting Civilians in Darfur: A Briefing for Effective Peacekeeping (July 18, 2006)
Darfur Crisis: Testimonies from Eastern Chad (June 29, 2006)
Sowing the Seeds of Darfur: Ethnic targeting in Chad by Janjawid militias from Sudan (June 28, 2006)
Secretive Chinese Arms Exports Activities Stoking Conflict, Repression (Jun 12, 2006)
Amnesty International USA Welcomes Important Steps Taken by Bush Administration and Congress to Improve Situation in Darfur (May 25, 2006)
Joint Letter to UN Security Council (May 25, 2006)
Thousands displaced by attacks from Sudan (June 1, 2006)
Ending the Nightmare in Darfur (February 26, 2006)
^ top ^

News Releases

Amnesty International Releases Video Depicting Death and Destruction in Chad (June 29, 2006)
Secretive Chinese Arms Exports Activities Stoking Conflict, Repression, New Amnesty International Report Finds (June 11, 2006)
U.N. Security Council Must Meet 'Responsibility to Protect' Civilians (May 25, 2006)
Continuing Blockade of Humanitarian Aid (April 4, 2006)
Continued Harassment of Sudanese NGO and Curtailment to Freedom of Expression and Association in Sudan (March 16, 2006)
^ top ^

More Background

Letter to Assistant Secretary of State for Africa
Letter to United Nations Security Council
^ top ^