The most cliche username. ([info]pistolsclash13) wrote in [info]weunderstand,
2007-01-13 15:52:00
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  • Mood: excited
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CEASE-FIRE AGREEMENT IN DARFUR! (x-posted to antigenocide, humanmajority)

Email from the Save Darfur Coalition

Dear Jamie,

I want to share some important news from Khartoum. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson just released a joint statement with Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir that, if implemented, would bring some immediate security and relief to the people of Darfur as well as provide a clear path forward to long-term peace in the region.

We asked Governor Richardson to travel to Sudan to discuss ways to secure peace in Darfur and to end the genocide. The Governor was accompanied by Save Darfur Senior International Coordinator Ambassador (ret.) Lawrence Rossin, Refugees International Executive Director Kenneth Bacon, and Public and International Law and Policy Group senior attorney Amjad Atallah. Since Sunday, when they arrived in Khartoum, Governor Richardson and the delegation have visited Darfur and participated in a variety of meetings with government officials, rebel leaders, humanitarian officials, AU commanders and UN officials.

The promises from President Bashir in this agreement are encouraging. They include commitments to:

  • A 60-day ceasefire with an international peace summit to be held before March 15, 2007.
  • Sudan's cooperation to work with the African Union and United Nations on the deployment of a hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur.
  • Ensuring "zero tolerance" policies for gender-based violence in Darfur.
  • Free access for humanitarian aid workers and journalists.

Click here to read the full joint statement and the press release.

Your concerns for the people of Darfur were voiced directly to President Bashir by Governor Richardson and Ambassador Rossin. We believe that today's agreement offers a promising step forward to end this four-year nightmare for the people of Darfur. By no means, however, has the genocide ended.

We call urgently upon Sudan, the United Nations, the African Union, and the Bush Administration to make these promises become a reality for the long-suffering people of Darfur.

We must demand that the international community take advantage of this dramatic progress. Your help in this effort will be vital in the months ahead.

Thank you for your contribution to these new developments.

Best regards,

David Rubenstein
Save Darfur Coalition

The Save Darfur Coalition is an alliance of over 175 faith-based, advocacy and humanitarian organizations whose mission is to raise public awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and to mobilize a unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of more than two million people in the Darfur region. To learn more, please visit http://www.SaveDarfur.org.




I'm glad that this cease-fire agreement has been signed! I was furious when I learend (before) that the UN finally agreed to deploy troops, but then weren't able to because the president of Sudan (Omar al-Bashir) wouldn't agree to it. Anyways, just wanted to let you guys know. Oh, and if you haven't already- join STAND (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur), it's a really good way to get together and organize ways to help Darfur. Also, subscribe to the mailing list @ http://www.savedarfur.org. And the IRC mailing list (internation refugee committee @ http://www.theirc.org/

And one more thing- there's a really good book (and documentary) out about Darfur called: Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival by Jen Marlowe, Aisha Bain, Adam Shapiro, and Paul Rusesabagina. The same people who wrote the book made the documentary called Darfur Diaries: Message From Home.

-Jamie

P.S- I forgot to add that this "cease-fire" doesn't mean that the genocide is over, we still must work to ensure that the organizations (AU, UN, international community) to follow what they've promised and to stop the genocide AND help repair the IDP's, villages, education, children, rape victims, malnourished persons, etc.  Apparently there's also problems with the "rebels" refusing to cooperate (I'm guessing the SPLA/SLA/DLA, etc.) http://www.onelocalnews.com/akronfarmreport/ViewArticle.aspx?id=42852&source=2

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