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Since 2003, Darfur in Western Sudan has been embroiled in a deadly conflict. At least 400,000 people have been killed; more than 2 million people have been forced to flee their homes and now live in displaced-persons camps in Sudan or in refugee camps in neighboring Chad; and more than 3.5 million people are completely reliant on international aid for survival.
The people of Darfur experience horrendous crimes, including the mass rape of women and girls, burning of homes and religious buildings, killing of babies, and other atrocities. The main perpetrators of these atrocities have been the Sudanese-government-sponsored Janjaweed militias, who have often operated with direct help from the Sudanese military. Not since the Rwandan genocide of 1994 has the world seen such a calculated campaign of displacement, starvation, rape, and mass slaughter. In fact, the only thing keeping the death rates in Darfur from skyrocketing is the presence of one of the most elaborate humanitarian aid systems the world as ever seen.
Unfortunately, that aid network is now coming under attack as well. In July of 2006 alone, more aid workers were killed than in the previous three years combined. If the aid network collapses due to violence, the monthly death rate in Darfur could top 100,000 according to Jan Egeland, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs.
The men, women, and children of Darfur are being deprived of their humanity. Many of them have lost their homes, communities, families, and dreams for the future. Their government continues to deny that they need international protection; even as thousands more are displaced by government-backed attacks. Those who escape the initial attacks contend daily with the constant threat of further violence, and the ever-present specters of disease and starvation.
With much international pressure, the Darfur Peace Agreement was brokered in May 2006 between the government of Sudan and one faction of Darfur rebels. However, deadlines have been ignored and the violence has escalated. This violence has made it dangerous, if not impossible, for most of the millions of displaced persons to return to their homes.
To learn more about the situation in Darfur, visit www.SaveDarfur.org. The Save Darfur Coalition is an alliance of over 170 faith-based, advocacy and humanitarian organizations.
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