By Faith McDonnell (@Cuchulain09)
In a couple of weeks, IRD will participate in the Act for Sudan Emergency Action Summit on Sudan. The Summit, which will be hosted by Genocide Watch at George Mason University’s Arlington, Virginia campus, will take place on Sunday, March 10 and Monday, March 11, followed by the opportunity to visit members of Congress and talk about Sudan. You can find out more information about the Summit (Yes! Registration is still open. Come join us!) at Act for Sudan’s website. I will moderate a panel on the future of Sudan.
I am so pleased that IRD friend, the Rt. Reverend Andudu Adam el Nail, the Bishop of Nuba Mountains (Episcopal Church of Sudan) will be able to participate in the Summit. Bishop Andudu testified before Congress in the summer of 2011, when the Government of Sudan had first begun its genocidal jihad against the Nuba.
Even if you can’t get to Act for Sudan’s Emergency Action Summit, you can still act for Sudan in a number of ways.
Today the State Department shared the opening remarks of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, highlighting United States’ priorities for the U.N. Human Rights Council. Esther Brimmer, Asst. Secretary, Bureau of International Organization Affairs called out Syria, North Korea, and Sri Lanka for human rights abuses. Amazingly, she even criticized the Council for continuing to “unfairly single out Israel.” But she failed to condemn Sudan, even though that regime continues its genocidal attacks in the Nuba Mountains, Blue Nile State, and Darfur.
If you use Facebook or Twitter, please consider posting this message to express your outrage that the U.S. has not made Sudan one of its priorities:
Scandalous! #Sudan not “priority” for US at UN Human Rights Council http://www.state.gov/p/io/rm/2013/205203.htm#.USzvCyOF6JE.twitter @StateDept @ActforSudan @AmbassadorRice
You can also urge Secretary of State John Kerry to strengthen and change U.S. policy on Sudan. For the past four years, the Obama administration has frequently expressed grave concerns, but has pursued a policy of engagement, employing conciliatory diplomacy rather than confronting the regime in Sudan with consequences for genocide and crimes against humanity. On Act for Sudan’s website, there is a form to fill out a letter that will be sent to Secretary Kerry. You can also tweet the following:
#SecKerry, Pls lead urgent shift in US #Sudan policy. #Genocide continues on our watch. http://bit.ly/W50OVw @statedept @ambassadorrice
Also, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the genocide in Darfur, western Sudan. Darfur10 is sponsoring an international petition that will be delivered to the UN Security Council and the African Union this spring, urging them “expend all resources at your disposal to bring an end to the suffering in Darfur and other areas under attack including Blue Nile and South Kordofan; urgently address the humanitarian crisis; bring those accountable for human rights crimes to justice; and protect the vulnerable to bring a just and lasting peace to Darfur and all of Sudan.” You can sign the petition here.
Never fear that because you are not in Washington, DC, you cannot make an impact for these critical issues of religious liberty and human rights. You can! Feel free to contact me if you want other ideas to share with friends, youth groups, etc. In my next e-newsletter, I will share advocacy ideas for other areas of the world experiencing human rights abuses and persecution.
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