Metting on July 25, '08

We had our meeting to discuss the Movie Screening on Friday, July 25 at the Cara Lodge. Not too many of you turned up; but those of us who did, we missed you.

The meeting started of with Clinton giving us an update on the latest that’s happening in the Region. He outlined the following:

-5 years since conflict started

-More than 400,000 people dead

-2.5 million displaced civilians have been forced to flee their homes and now live in camps in Sudan or in refugee camps in neighboring Chad. Many are

-fighting between rebels and the government sponsored militia is still ongoing

- Most Humanitarian Organisations have left the region for fear of inadequate saftey

-Conflicts in neighboring Chad and Kenya has made an already tense situation more tense

-China remains a major supplier of arms to the Sudanese government

-The International community is slow to act to bring the situation under control

-UN Security Council comprises members China & Russia—both supporters of Al Bashir—and will complicate efforts for UN to take action.

-Only hope lies with NATO and the US---who are currently bogged down in Afghanistan and Iraq

-ICC has brought charges against high ranking government officials, including Sudan’s president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir (Some are arguing that justice is a threat to peace and stability)

-UN has troops monitoring the situation on the ground

Clinton then went into a discussion about who we are and reiterated the group’s Mission Statement:

Our mission is to bring together Guyanese who are committed to waging constructive and efficient campaigns to bring awareness, raise funds and to help end the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

He then summed up our Goals as a group:

-Raise Awareness

-Raise Funds

The discussion then turned to the question of how do we succeed? Clinton felt that to be successful we need to answer three fundamental questions:

1.) How do we raise funds?

2.) How do we raise awareness?

3.) What do we do with the funds raised?

How do we raise funds?

Movie screening

Donation letters

Sponsorship of events

How do we raise awareness?

Movie screening (schools, café’s, restaurants, television etc...)

Televised discussions (thanks Ruel!)

Involve Sudanese living in Guyana (know any?)

Monthly Newsletter

Wristbands

T-Shirts

Letter writing

Reports on personal experiences in the region (ask Kwesi Sansculotte-Greenidge to write articles of his experiences and have them published in the Stabroek News or the Guyana Times)

Run/Walk

Lectures (For example, hosting an awareness event at the Georgetown library)

What do we do with the Funds raised?

Those present agreed that funds raised will be donated to Oxfam and other humanitarian organizations working on the ground in Darfur or Chad. We also supported the idea of sending members of the group to Refugee Camps in Chad and Darfur who are expected to come back and report on their experiences. The funds will also be used to organize and execute other awareness activities.

Movie Screening

Dinner and movie format

Venue: Dutch Bottle 36-40 ppl

Tickets: $4000

Movie: Darfur Now

Date: August 13, 2008

Time: 6:30

Call for the Deployment of peacekeepers in Darfur.

One of our members, Mr. Dennis de Cruz, received this from Amnesty International:

Dear Denis ,

Two major stories on Darfur made news headlines this week.

On Monday, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) accused Sudan’s President Omar al- Bashir of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes and requested his indictment1. That same day, the BBC aired a report 2 accusing China of fueling the conflict in Darfur by supplying military equipment and training to Sudan.

The prosecutor's request for an indictment and the new information about China’s arms transfers sent shockwaves throughout the world. These developments only reinforce the fact that peace in Darfur cannot happen without accountability and security.

Accountability: The ICC's prosecutor's request for the indictment of Bashir is a major development in the international process seeking accountability for the horrific crimes in Darfur.

We have previously called on Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, to lead UN Security Council efforts to enforce the arrest warrants issued by the ICC for Sudanese government minister, Ahmad Harun, and Janjawid militia leader, Ali Kushayb3. Both men were charged with war crimes similar to those brought against Bashir and continue to remain at large.

This past April, Amnesty International ramped up efforts to achieve accountability by co-founding the global “Justice for Darfur” coalition4. The coalition has sent tens of thousands of messages to world leaders, asking them to pressure Sudan to hand over suspected war criminals to the ICC for prosecution.

Security: Our researchers have been reporting that the UN arms embargo on Sudan is not strong enough to prevent arms from slipping into Darfur. Our 2007 report5 documented how arms sold by China and Russia to Sudan were being transferred to Darfur in spite of the UN embargo. As long as unrestricted weapons continue to flow into Sudan, the people of Darfur are not safe.

This week's news has set a number of factors into motion. The Sudanese government stated that the ICC prosecutor's request for indictment on genocide charges was a "declaration of war"6. And the UN took a precautionary measure of pulling non-essential staff from the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission shortly after the prosecutor's action. This means our vigilance is needed more than ever to get peacekeepers on the ground immediately.

Please send a message to Secretary Rice urging her to use all available resources to ensure full and immediate deployment of peacekeepers in Darfur.

Accountability and security in Darfur.
Take Action Now!

Sudanese President Omar Bashir (L) embraces Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.
©PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images

Sincerely,

Meredith Larson
Darfur Campaign Director
Amnesty International USA

NOTE: GUD will draft a letter to the US Secretary of State.

Now on Facebook!

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Sudanese President Charged with Genocide!

At least somebody in the Sudanese government will be held accountable for the mass murders over the past couple of years in Darfur. It is being reported that the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has filed genocide charges against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and other top ranking officials are expected to be charged in the near future. It a small victory for human rights campaigners the world over.