Talking About Genocide

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Committee on Conscience NJ Founded in May, 2006
Inspired by the national Committee on Conscience
at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum Charter
Our mandate is to work to halt acts of genocide
and crimes against humanity. Objectives Alert
the community conscience Educate our youth and
adults Influence our policymakers Website
http//CoC-NJ.home.comcast.net
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Handouts
http//CoC-NJ.home.comcast.net www.darfurwall.org
What is Genocide? http//www.ushmm.org/conscienc
e/history/ Why Genocide Matters Nickolas
Kristof, Op-Ed Columnist, NY Times Darfur
Glossary http//www.ushmm.org/conscience/alert/s
tudents/ QA Crisis in Darfur Human Rights
Watch http//www.hrw.org The Arabs are Victims,
Too Julie Flint, Washington Post, Nov. 19,
2006 Song of Darfurian Rape Victims
www.msnbc.com Darfur Diaries Book Talk and
Signing followed by Film Screening Jan. 28,
2007 Genocide in Darfur Darfur Eyewitness
Teacher Guide Witnessing Darfur DVD
www.ushmm.org/conscience/analysis email to
order darfur_at_ushmm.org Op-Ed Writing Contest
End Genocide in Darfur www.ushmm.org/conscience/
alert/students What Can I Do?
On Display
Proclamation on Genocide, October 23, 2006, from
Mayor William P. Neary Report on work of other
mayors who are standing up against
genocide Genocide Instructional Guide NJ
Commission on Holocaust Education,
holocaus_at_doe.state.nj.us
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Genocide

• Killing members of the group
• Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members
  of the group
• Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions
  of life calculated to bring about its physical
  destruction in whole or in part
• Imposing measures intended to prevent births
  within the group
• Forcibly transferring children of the group to
  another group.

(Introduce genocide lesson plan book and DVD
Guide)
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Short Talk on a Long War

• Geography
• The Conflict Today
• How It Arose
• World Response
• What Can I Do?

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Geography
Saudi Arabia
Nubian Peoples
El Fashir
Sudan
Darfur
pop 37 million 50 ethnic groups 600 subgroups
pop 6 million 90 tribes
Beja Peoples
Nuba Mts
Blue Nile
Muslim (70) African Traditional (25) Christian
(5)
Muslim (100)
South Sudanese
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The Conflict TodayApril, 2003 Darfur Rebels
Attack El Fashir Airport

• Peace talks between Government and SPLM/A
• Second Civil War
• Darfur Excluded From Government and SPLM/A
  Agreements
• Wealth-sharing
• Oil
• Power-sharing
• Government Response
• Brutality against rebels and civilians

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The Government Strategy In Darfur A Scorched
Earth Policy

• Drop bombs on villages (Antonov planes)
• Use Janjaweed militia (Devil on Horseback,
  Camelback)
• Arab militia armed by Sudanese government
• Main targets Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa tribes
• Rape, murder, burn, loot, poison wells with dead
  bodies
• Impede access by international aid workers and
  journalists

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Darfur, 2003 - 2006 Statistics
2004 African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS)
(7700) Mandate to keep the peace in Darfur
Mandate expanded to protect civilians whom
it encounters under imminent threat and in the
immediate vicinity, within resources and
capability.
Today

• 400,000 500,000 dead 2 million displaced
• 3.5 million rely on humanitarian aid
• CoC has declared a Genocide Emergency in Darfur

(Jan Egeland said that 10,000 people die per
month per million people displaced.)
Witnessing Darfur USHMM DVD
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How The Conflict Arose

• Pre-1983
• First Civil War
• 1983 2005
• Second Civil War
• 2003 Darur Rebels Attack Al Fashir
• Post-2003
• Competition For Natural Resources
• Planned Genocide

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Pre- 1983 First Civil War

• Tribal Diversity
• Arab
• Non-Arab
• South Sudanese
• Colonial Powers
• Egypt
• Arabization of North
• Great Britain
• empowered North
• marginalized South
• Separation and Regional Autonomy for South Sudan

Identities from Darfur Diaries
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1983 2005 Second Civil War

• Oil Motive and Means
• Motive clear the land of its people to secure
  oil fields
• Means oil revenues finance arms purchases
• Divide to Destroy
• Government-Sponsored Militias
• Ethnically-driven conflicts (Arab vs Black
  African)
• Religion (Islam vs Christianity)
• Starvation
• Destroy food production
• Impede access for international relief

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January, 2005 Second Civil War Ends

• Comprehensive Peace Agreement
• between Government and SPLM/A
• SPLM/A-controlled regions share power, wealth
  with the government
• Excluded
• Darfur
• Nubians (North)
• Beja (East)
• Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile (Central)

• Statistics (1983 2005)
• 2 million dead
• 4 million displaced
• CoC has issued a Genocide Watch for Sudan and
  monitors CPA.

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Civil War Spreads to Darfur
The Western media seems intent on viewing
Darfur as an isolated atrocity but, in fact,
its part of a much larger, and more complicated
evil, which began in the South, spread northward
to the Nuba Mountains and Sourthern Blue Nile,
and then to Darfur. From War and Faith in
Sudan by Gabriel Meyer
The situation in the South and Darfur is the
same. The problems are from the same starting
point. They oppress people. A Dinka from the
South, living in Darfur
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Darfur The Government vs The People

• Government is creating racism Black or Arab
• Black Africans Fur, Masalit, Zaghawa (herders)
  (dar homeland Fur Fur tribe)
• Arabs Camel nomads (north Darfur) and cattle
  herdsmen (south Darfur)
• Government pits Arab against Black African
• Underlying factors of conflict
• Historical Arabization, Islamization, slavery
• Environmental desertification and drought
• competition for land and water
• Political Marginalization by government
• The real enemy is the government of Omar
  Al-Bashir (National Islamic Front) who seized
  power in 1989 coup.

Marginalization from Darfur Diaries
Mention article from Washington Post, The Arabs
are Victims, Too Nov. 19
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The Response of the UN and US

• The UN
• November 2006 Support of African Union (money,
  staff)
• August 2006 Resolution 1706 AMIS-to-UNMIS
  transition in Darfur with mandate and means to
  protect civilians
• 2005 referred crisis in Darfur to International
  Criminal Court (ICC)
• Humanitarian work World Food Program, UNHCHR,
  UNICEF
• (World Food Program assists 6 million people in
  Darfur and the South.)

• The US White House
• 2004 Colin Powell declares the government
  policy in Darfur genocide
• 2006 President appoints Andrew Natsios as Envoy
  to Sudan

• The US House
• Darfur Peace and Accountability Act H.R. 3127
• NATO Bridging Force H.R. 723
• House Amendment 709 to H.R. 4939
• House Amendment 980 to H.R. 5522
• Presidential Special Envoy House Resolution 992
• The US Senate
• Darfur Accountability Act S. 495
• Darfur Peace and Accountability Act S. 1462
• Civilian Protection Senate Resolution 383
• No-Fly Zone Senate Resolution 559

(information on House and Senate acts and
resolutions is at www.darfurscores.org )
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UN 2007 Update
UN-wide Darfur Task Force UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-Moon (S. Korea) UN Envoy to
Sudan Jan Eliasson (Sweden) UN Envoy
Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah African Union Envoy
Salim Ahmed Salim Advisor on the Prevention
of Genocide Juan Mendez (Mexico) UN High
Commissioner of Refugees António Guterres US
Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad
(nominee) plus others
Mr. Ban "I will pay my highest attention to
this. "By engaging myself in the diplomatic
process, I hope that we will be able to resolve
peacefully, as soon as possible, this very
serious issue."
Source United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Jan. 3, 2007
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The Response of the World
EU Governments (very little) narrative the
Holocaust and genocide France supports Chad a
little, but not too interested US relies on
Sudan for counterterrorism intelligence
Arab League (even less) narrative Western
colonialism, sins of Zionism, stealing Arab oil
Lebanon ''For the entire Muslim and Arab
world to remain silent when thousands of people
in Darfur continue to be killed is shameful and
hypocritical.' -- The Daily Star of Lebanon
(Oct. 2006) Egypt source of Nile River is
in Sudan against UN troops in Darfur Libya,
Egypt against CPA fear that power-sharing might
affect treaties related to Nile Saudi
Arabia supports Sudan Quatar supports
Sudan in UN Security Council
Asian Governments (supply weapons) China
supports Sudan in UN Security Council, funds war
through oil purchases, supplies weapons
Russia supports Sudan in UN Security Council,
supplies weapons (2004 oil revenue estimated
at US 3 billion.)
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Other Groups Respond
Humanitarian Groups World Food Program, Save
the Children, CARE, Doctors Without Borders,
International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps,
Oxfam, World Vision, AJWS, and others Advocacy
Groups Save Darfur Coalition, Genocide
Intervention Network, International Crisis
Group, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights First,
Amnesty International, Passion of the Present,
Eric Reeves/Sudan Fund, others
Fundraising www.darfurwall.org (donations start
at 1)
(Funds from darfurwall are evenly distributed to
the groups in red.)
Green wristbands. Take Wear Give to darfurwall.
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A Genocide in Slow Motion Nick Kristoff
10 books (2005 2007) on www.amazon.com
Darfur The Ambiguous Genocide by Gerard
Prunier (Hardcover - Aug 26, 2005) Darfur A
Short History of a Long War (African Arguments)
by Julie Flint and Alex de Waal (March,
2006) Darfur Diaries Stories of Survival by Jen
Marlowe, Aisha Bain, Adam Shapiro (October
2006) Genocide in Darfur Investigating the
Atrocities in the Sudan by Samuel Totten and Eric
Markusen (September 2006) Darfur The Long Road
to Disaster by J. Millard Burr and Robert O.
Collins (July 2006) Famine that Kills Darfur,
Sudan (Oxford Studies in African Affairs) by Alex
de Waal (January 2005) Never Again, Again,
Again... Genocide Armenia to Darfur by Lane H.
Montgomery (January 2007) Not on Our Watch A
Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by
Don Cheadle and John Prendergast (May
2007) Explaining Darfur Lectures on the Ongoing
Genocide by Agnes van Ardenne-van der Hoeven,
Mohamed Salih, Nick Grono, and Juan Mendez (March
2007) Darfur's Sorrow A History of Destruction
and Genocide by M. W. Daly (March 2007) The Devil
Came on Horseback A Witness to Genocide in
Darfur by Brian Steidle and Gretchen Steidle
Wallace (April 2007) What is The What The
Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng A Novel by
Dave Eggers (Oct, 2006) Untitled Darfur Play
at the Public Theatre (2006) Documentary Film
Darfur Diaries Message from Home
(2004) Darfur Who Will Survive Today? Exhibit
at US Holocaust Memorial Museum (2004)
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MeanwhileGenocide is Spreading to Chadto
Central African Republic
230,000 Darfuris have fled to Chad 50,000
90,000 Chadian people displaced 60 Chad villages
burned Thanksgiving week
The next weeks may be make or break for our
lifeline to more than 3 million people. This
period may well be the last opportunity for this
Council, the Government of Sudan, the African
Union, the rebels, and all of us to avert a
humanitarian disaster of much larger proportions
than even the one we so far have witnessed in
Darfur. Jan Egeland, UN humanitarian chief,
November 26, 2006 Failing to establish any
urgent timeframe or meaningful benchmarks for a
Darfur security force, the international
community simply watches as genocidal violence
spreads uncontrollably, threatening the entire
region. - Eric Reeves, November 26, 2006
www.sudanreeves.org
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Proposed Immediate Action
U.S. and French operation to fly sorties, at the
invitation of the Chadian government, from the
French air base in Abéché, Chad, to strafe
janjaweed raiding parties The U.S. and French
air forces should jointly impose a no-fly zone
from the French air base in Abéché, Chad, as the
Chadian president has invited us to do. The
U.S. could put video footage of Darfur atrocities
on its Arabic-language satellite television
station, Al Hurra. Mr. Ban could take a
planeload of Arab journalists on a visit to
Darfur refugee camps to get more coverage on Al
Jazeera and other Arab networks. Condi Rice could
do the same. UN could rush U.N. troops to Chad
and the Central African Republic President Bush
could visit Chad and the Central African Republic
as a show of support to keep those two countries
from collapsing and he could invite Chinese
leaders, who provide Sudan with the guns used for
atrocities, to join him President Bush could
invite Arab, African, and Chinese leaders to the
White House for a summit on Darfur. President
Bush could dispatch Condi Rice to Chad to show
the U.S.s support then have her stop off in
Cairo for meetings with Arab leaders on the
crisis. US could use satellite monitoring to
determine the locations of the rebels and
janjaweed, and we could listen in on
conversations between rebel/janjaweed field
commanders and their Sudanese bosses
Excerpted from columns by Nick Kristof
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What Can I Do?

• Advocate
• Write letters to Senators, Representatives
  www.darfurscores.org
• Call the White House at 202-456-1111
  comments_at_whitehouse.gov
• Write embassies of France and Egypt
• Write media outlets at www.beawitness.org
• Visit www.darfurwall.org and donate 1. Light
  one of the 400,000 lights.
• Alert the community conscience
• Bring a Proclamation on Genocide to your mayor
• Join Committee on Conscience NJ
  http//CoC-NJ.home.comcast.net
• Educate
• Talk About Genocidewatch slideshows and online
  videos
• share with friends, family, neighbors,
  groupswatch DVDs
• Read Darfur Diaries watch the DVD with a
  group
• Request that your library order it write review
  at BN, amazon, borders
• Give book and film as a holiday gift
• Bring a group of people to the book talk at BN
  and film screening at Mega Movies on 1/28/2007. 5
  PM 7 PM book talk 7 PM film screening

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..the violence is too innate, situations such as
Darfur too hopeless, and the work too depressing
so why bother?
-- NYT blog entry
Genocide is something special. It is the
ultimate crime against humanity, tearing at the
fabric of humankind. And so it seems to me that
the obligatory response is to assert our own
humanity and try to stop it. from Nick
Kristoffs blog
We are living under the trees, here, there,
here, there. We are spread all over the area
under the trees in more than twenty places. We
just came under this tree today, but we are
already moving. from Darfur Diaries
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world. Indeed,
it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret
Meade
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From our website Committee on Conscience NJ
http//CoC-NJ.comcast.net
Announcements
Read the Proclamation on Genocide delivered by
Mayor William P. Neary to the Town Council of
East Brunswick on October 23, 2006. Read what
other US mayors have done to stand up against
genocide.Educate yourself through images,
audio, and video on Darfur. Learn about the
people behind the statistics.Online
Documentaries and Photo Essays by PBS Frontline
Learn more about Darfur, Sudan, the situation,
and the parties involved in the crisis by
watching documentaries made by brave journalists.
Click here to select your video and view online.
Get the Latest News From Darfur. Add your name to
the Day For Darfur Campaign. Join others from
around the world in rallying to Stop
Genocide.Host a Dinner For Darfur (WORD doc
with step-by-step instructions, courtesy of
www.genocideintervention.net ). Invite a group of
people over to discuss the issues, write letters,
sign petitions, watch a DVD, and fundraise for
the Save Darfur Coalition or www.genocideintervent
ion.net (Each person makes a donation for the
evening.) Alternatively, host a Darfur House
Party. Serve snacks instead of dinner.
(Fundraising is optional.)(Contact us if you
would like a DVD on the situation in
Darfur.)Visit Darfur Scores for a report card
on your legislator. Get a summary of all
Darfur-related bills and resolutions, see how
your legislators voted, and send each of them an
e-letter, all from this link!
Send an e-letter to US news producers to let them
know that genocide is news and it must be
covered. Click here to learn just how little
coverage was given to genocide in 2005.
Raise awareness about the crisis in Darfur. Write
a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
Click on 'Contact Us' to find an email address to
the news editor or managing editor. To get
started, here are direct links to the Star Ledger
Editorial Page and The Home News Editorial page.
For the East Brunswick Sentinel, send email to
ebsent_at_gmnews.com