For the final days of the fast, we are requesting that you join for one or more days and get others in your community to join also. Your donation to the World Food Program will make double the difference. Humanity United, an organization committed to building a world where modern-day slavery and mass atrocities are no longer possible, will be matching dollar-for-dollar all 100-Day Fast for Darfur pledges to the World Food Program.

To join the fast, e-mail us at fast@stopgenocidenow.org with your name, city, and amount pledged to the WFP (instructions for sending in donation below).

SGN is joining forty-six other organizations in demanding that our world leaders at this year’s G8 Summit in Hokkaido, Japan, focus and act on one of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. The G8 Summit comes at a perilous time for Darfur, the whole of Sudan, and the entire region. Intensified violence in Darfur has resulted in more death and displacement, and recent fighting in the Abyei region of Sudan suggests the unraveling of the fragile North/South peace agreement.  The instability we recently witnessed in Chad is another alarming red flag.

Stop Genocide Now will be one of many sponsoring a letter and petition to Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of Japan, President Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev of the Russian Federation, Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and President George W. Bush of the United States of America.  We would like to encourage our supporters to read the letter and sign the petition, letting our world leaders know that ignoring the genocide in Darfur is unacceptable.

To learn more and sign the petition, visit Human Rights First.

As always, thank you for your support and commitment.

Peace,
The Stop Genocide Now team

It would be a mistake, however, to cast the entire experience as a failure. Despite the fact that a large majority of our time was spent in a fitness center, I do feel like I learned a few lessons that can help inform our actions in the future.

The first is one that Colin touched on his last post. When I first got involved in this conflict, it was all about Darfur. All we talked about were the dreadful statistics coming out of Darfur, and analyzed what we could do to improve the situation for the Darfurians. We can’t continue to think of the conflict like that. The rebellion and unstable situation in Chad directly impacts the situation in Darfur, just like the problems in South Sudan. The Central African Republic is similarly unstable. In order to successfully improve the lives of millions of Darfurians in the long-term, we must also seek to address the conflict in Chad. The Sudanese government funds the Chadian rebels, and hundreds of thousands of Darfurians are stranded in Chad. They’re tied together at the hip.

I think it’s also important to recognize the importance in dealing with the structural problems that have formed this conflict. Humanitarian aid is extremely important to immediate refugee survival. Protection will allow many to return home in peace, but similarly, is a band-aid solution. In order to secure long-term peace, we need to recognize the rift between the Sudanese and the Darfurians, the Chadian rebels and the Chadian government, and the Chadians and the Sudanese. There are a lot of unhappy, conflicting parties at the table, and we need to recognize the importance of all of their needs, or this conflict won’t go away anytime soon.

This trip also demonstrated the difficulties in working in this region. While we were in Abeche, most humanitarian flights stopped, and a lot of UNHCR staff was pulled back from the camps. Thus, the refugees weren’t getting the care they deserved because of the conflict in Chad. Additionally, the rebels looted several camps, destroying rations and supplies, putting the refugees in peril as the rainy season approaches. The rebel movement greatly impedes the work of humanitarians, which in turn, makes the job of helping refugees even harder.

Again, the fact that we didn’t meet any refugees is disappointing. But the trip, in a way, strengthened my resolve to fight on during this conflict. I do so, however, knowing that my efforts must encompass the entire region. I also do so knowing that change will not occur quickly. We must appreciate the small steps along the way; money appropriated towards humanitarian aid, protection officers on the ground, peace talks amongst the rebel groups. Solving this multi-country conflict won’t be easy, and it won’t happen tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day. But if we keep up our efforts, we can achieve peace for Sudan, Chad, and the rest of the region. It just will take time, energy, and a little bit of patience. After all, this is Africa.

Locally

1. Tell 5 Friends (or more!) about i-ACT: Send them to our website and send them a story of one of our friends
2. This coming weekend, bring the faces and stories of our friends to your place of worship. Say a prayer for Darfur, and make a commitment to actively end the violence.
3. Engage your friends and representatives in a conversation about our United Nations Security Council Presidency, use Africa Action’s talking points.
4. Host an i-ACTivist Viewing Party: Use this Guide (word, pdf)
5. Join the Tents of Hope campaign, now in 9 countries!
6. Dial 1-800 GENOCIDE and pressure your Senators and Representatives to take action.
7. Write a letter to the editor or article for your local paper! Use the points included in this sample letter to a leader, and urge the media to bring attention to the voices of those who need our help!
8. Help build a movement by connecting with other Darfur activists and advocacy groups. Brainstorm with other advocacy groups how you can work in solidarity on campaigns and projects to make more them more wide-reaching and powerful. Some groups to contact: STAND (ask for local chapters), Genocide Intervention Network, Stop Genocide Now, Jewish World Watch and Save Darfur.

Nationally

1. Join the 100 Day Fast for Darfur that began on April 7th, the day of the Rwanda genocide and continues until July 15th. Each dollar donated to WFP will be matched.
2. Using Africa Action’s talking points, write a letter, send an email or call the US Permanent Representative to the UN, Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad, here.
3. Join the San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition and begin your weekly commitment to Darfur Fridays and Keep International Focus on Darfur.
4. Read the joint statement of Presidential candidates Clinton, Obama, and McCain and thank them for condemning the government of Sudan.
5. Urge Clinton, Obama, and McCain to begin their dedication to Darfur now and make protection of innocent civilians in Darfur and Sudan a priority in their first 100 days in office by sending them a message here.
6. Participate in Tents of Hope Tents of Hope World Refugee Day Actions!
7. Call the White House and demand that we call an emergency meeting on Darfur and Sudan at UN Security Council and that we do all in our power to Protect the Innocent Civilians of Darfur. Dial 1-800-GENOCIDE or 202.456.1111 to be connected to the President.

Internationally

1. Participate in demonstrations at headquarters and retail outlets of the 2008 Olympic Sponsor
2. Join Amnesty International in urging leaders to take action to release Darfuri prisoners.
3. Use sample letter to your leader, and add in a picture and story the many listed here, or another you have connected with over the last week. Include a link that invites them to view a video of the refugees, attach a picture and a story from the camps.
4. Write to the President of the United Nations Security Council (United States of America in June 2008), urging the Security Council to call on Sudan to enforce all International Criminal Court arrest warrants immediately. Stay connected at Wanted for War Crimes.
5. Take Action to Divest in Chinese and other companies with investments in Sudan at Investors Against Genocide, which has a targeted Divestment Model for Institution, Council, or Legislature provided by Sudan Divestment
6. Connect with the villages in Darfur that are under immediate threat and need your protection at Amnesty International’s Eyes on Darfur. Tell the ambassador that villages in Darfur and Eastern Chad need protection.
7. Participate in the 2008 Olympic Games Sponsor Demonstrations, or write them urging their action for Darfur

Our departure from Abeche came about in just about the same manner as everything else that has been happening in Chad during this trip, unexpected and not at all as planned. We had just confirmed that we were on the manifest for the 2pm flight, so we had many hours to kill at our safe home-gym, a walk away from the major UNHCR compound. We talked with Youssouf and left note Bouba. We packed. We still had hours to kill. Then, Suzanne runs in: “Let’s go! Let’s go!! Your on the plane that is leaving right now!!!”

We laughed with Suzanne, as we got all of our stuff, took down our tech equipment that allows us to stay connected to the world, and ran to the car. We were out in less than five minutes. We had a few team meetings where we talked about having to be ready to run in a hurry and without leaving essentials. If fighting came to the city, how well you react on the run, in the hear-of-the-moment can be the difference between—and I don’t want to sound overly dramatic but—life and death. I had gone through the scenario a few times in my head. To get to our flight, we got out in less time than I thought it would take us to get away from bullets.

We are all now in N’Djamena. What we hear is that the country is relatively quiet. The worse might be over, for now. The rainy season will hit in full, so the rebels go back to Sudan, so that they do not get stuck without possibility of a quick exit (we know how that feels). What is clear from all this mess is that that, again, the regular people that were already in bad shape will be the ones to suffer even more.

Humanitarian aid was disrupted during crucial times. This is when they prepare for rainy season, stockpiling food and material that will not be able to get in to the displaced, when the river run full. It is activity that is—and here I want to be very appropriately dramatic—about life and death. Refugees and internally displaced Chadian experienced the booms and the bangs that must fit in to the scars of the booms and the bangs that destroyed their own villages and killed family and friends.

This is my fifth trip to the region. This one was different. I did not make it to the camps. I did gain a greater understanding of the challenges and on the edge, precarious conditions that exist out here. I also gained energy, if that makes sense. We, the activists in this movement, have to be able to tough it out. We have to get focused and really come together. We are not in it for ourselves, our groups, our organizations or even our abstract concepts of peace and justice. We are in it for real people that are awaking today to a new day for not knowing what it will bring. They must be wondering if anyone is going to come and help. For now, they do know the rainy season is beginning, and now they must worry about how to keep their children alive.

Paz,
Gabriel

We’ve been writing a lot about what goes on in Chad this trip, and many of our readers are primarily focused on resolving the situation in Darfur. I hope this hasn’t disappointed anybody, but one thing this trip has emphasized for me is how much of a regional conflict this is. When I first started as an activist, I tended to isolate the conflict to just Darfur. As I learned more, I started to think of it in terms of an “all-Sudan solution.” Being in Chad and learning about refugee camps, funding, rebels and the Central African Republic has drove home how important it is to think of this as a regional conflict.

The relationship between Sudan and Chad has gone from precarious to officially severed in recent months, and this is a dangerous situation for the thousands that are still fleeing from violence in Darfur. What happens if Chad suddenly refuses to accept any more refugees? I’m not sure that the government has the capacity to enforce this, but it would certainly make the work of UNHCR harder because they have play by the Chadian government’s rules while here.

Refugees from the Central African Republic are flowing into southern Chad, stretching UNHCR resources and creating a belt of camps that circles nearly half of the country. UNHCR efforts in the south are poorly funded, in part because the side of the conflict receives less attention. I should note that this is no criticism, but should be taken as a reflection on what it really takes to get adequate funding for these efforts. Because the camps cover such a large area in Chad now, it is harder for EUFOR to protect all the refugees at once.

Rebels in Chad and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in Darfur are constantly clashing with their respective governments, but their relationship is not easy to understand. Irish forces were taking gunfire from rebels in refugee camps outside of Goz Beida recently, and it’s difficult to make sense of why the camps would be a target. What may be even more dangerous for the refugees is the reality that aid workers are often evacuated if there is danger to their life. Without flights to the camps and aid workers operating on the ground, refugees can’t get food, water or medical supplies.

It still isn’t easy for me to wrap my mind around the entirety of this conflict. There are so many different players, and it seems like their relationships are always in flux. However, I feel like my understanding is deepening the more I try to understand what’s going on in Darfur in the context of the entire region. A true solution to this problem will undoubtedly encompass more than just this relatively small region. Now we just have to hope that instability throughout the region doesn’t hurt Darfur any more than it already it is.

Scott， Colin ，KTJ與Gabriel 起床後，懷着可以登機到 Goz Beida 的希望。我們急不及待想探望距離市中心十五分鐘路程的Djabal難民營內的朋友。可惜航班被取消了，當地有戰鬥和搶略的消息。Bouba 和我們的駕駛員Umar 都無恙，但是從他們的語調可以聽出情況比以往都嚴重。

我們在Abeche 不會有危險，但卻非常擔心難民營內的朋友，他們的安危再次因突襲而受到威脅。戰爭的聲音使他們想起種族清洗和瞄準他們的暴力。我們很幸福，因為我們早晚都會回家與家人團敍。但是這些難民就只能在難民營內重新開始。

我們的好友與我們分享他們期盼: Youssouf 希望和平可以降臨乍得，新婚的Alpha 就希望家人健康和一輩子都平安。我們也期望整個地區，包括蘇丹，達富爾，乍得, 和中非共和國可以永遠健康和平安。

If anything being caught here, once again, in Chad while rebels scurry from town to town in an attempt to dislodge their President, has reaffirmed by commitment to this work. During this crucial time when media focuses on self-reporting from rebel and government leaders and makes heroes out of UN forces, the innocent civilians are those who are most affected, and the ones given the least amount of voice. Not only the refugees who probably relived their own villages destruction during all of this, but the regular Chadian who has the market stall, or the mother who cares for her children. These are the innocents. But, they are also the disposables to so many people. Their stories are not told. The voices muted by those with fancy titles and positions of power.

For now, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis is Chad-Darfur. But all over the world live the voiceless. But they are only voiceless because of those who turn a deaf ear. They have a story, and an opinion. They are knowledgeable beyond comprehension in survival, and culture. They are very much alive here, and in the Congo, Burma, Zimbabwe, Iraq, Columbia, and all over the world.

We can give their voice meaning in our lives, and our neighbors, and their neighbors, and then, through our mutual commitment, begin to live in a global community.

I can’t imagine turning back to the life I lived before activism. My life had very little meaning outside of myself. It is also hard for me to imagine doing anything else with my life than what I am doing at this very moment. Many people ask me what I am going to do next, as if I was working towards a different job title or occupation. But this is it. For the rest of my life, in whatever capacity, I am committed to work for the voice of the people to be respected and heard.

I don’t think it would be fair to ask the same thing of you, but I do want to ask you, that even though i-ACT5 has not been the usual i-ACT, you are still the same committed i-ACTivist, and you can still take action, everyday for the people of Darfur.

Following on the theme for World Refugee Day (June 20), we decided to take on that general theme for our trip: Protection. We were to focus on what protection means to the millions of displaced, and, when visiting the camps, show how the refugees feel about protection in the camps and back home. As with our trip in February, a lot of our attention has been re-directed to our own protection.

Since we arrived in Abeche, the main town in Eastern Chad, the rebel offensive has disrupted humanitarian aid throughout the region. It has also kept us in Abeche. We are keeping an eye out on N’Djamena, knowing that it is the main goal for the rebels, but it is also our way out of the country.

Yesterday, Abeche prepared for the rebels. The market was closed; children were taken out of school; aid worker were under curfew. It is morning now, the time that rebels usually attack, and all is quiet, so far.

The team is doing well. We are staying informed and looking at our options. We are close to French and EUFOR bases, which would be the place to go, if the rebels do come. We are all losing some weight, but getting enough to not go hungry. It’s the Chad diet. I have always lost between 10 and 15 pounds during my different trips.

At UNHCR, Suzanne was been more than wonderful, keeping us well informed and helping our spirits with her positive energy. We are still waiting to see Bouba, our translator. I am sure that, as soon as he sees it’s safe, he will come with driver to Abeche. We want to see him back here. He knows everyone here, and I’m sure it’s where he wants to be. We are less concerned about our supplies and panels that are in the car with him, but it would be nice to have some more changes of clothes, more options on food, and the tiles that refuse to be pinned down to be taken to the US.

Thank you all for the positive notes in your comments. Please keep them coming. We will let you know how things continue out here. Let’s hope for peace and protection for all the people in Chad, Darfur, Sudan, and the entire region.

Paz,
g

今天的開始算滿順利，我們把越來越重的行李塞滿了車子，聯絡到Bouba與我們的駕駛員Umar，請他們今天稍後到Goz Beida 去接我們飛機。我們先停總督俯去蓋一個章，然後直奔機場。稱過行李的重量和簽過乘客名單後，航班卻宣佈停飛。

根劇UNHCR 的消息，當地有不明朗的軍事行動，所有到當地的車輛和航班都暫時取消。當我們正在張羅今晚的棲身之所時，看到幾輛載滿士兵和武器的卡車南下，向當地進發，顯然是武裝支緩。起碼，我們在Abeche 是暫時安全的。

Suzanne 來Abeche 至今已有十五個月，作為一個難民主要資訊記錄員，她看來頗為享受自己在東乍得的工作。她跟我們的想法一致，認為必須要與難民一同生活。因為她的組織會盡一切努力去去保住這些小孩，婦女和成人的性命。當她穿梭於難民營裡時，雖然工作繁重，她總會找到娛樂自己的方法。