I have pretty much the same routine every morning. I clean my French Press out from yesterday’s coffee, pour the grinds in the garden, and regrind new beans while starting my hot water. I add a dash of cinnamon and a splash of cream, and I’m finally ready to sit down at my computer.
This morning, my first email was a stream of over 30, from activists around the country discussing what we, the activist community, can do to leverage the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) recent announcement. Today the ICC has issued a second arrest warrant for genocide against the Fur, Massalit, and the Zaghawa.
Although Bashir still remains a free man as I write this, I can’t help but imagine the celebration in the camps when our friends in the camps heard that the ICC had finally, and clearly, stated that President Omar al-Bashir committed and continues to commit genocide against their people- their sisters, brothers, parents, and children.
In July 2008, when news of the first arrest warrant came in by radio to our friends in Camp Oure Cassoni, everyone was ecstatic. Messengers ran through the dirt pathways shouting the good news. The women began to gather and fires were lit. Joy and renewed hope ensued. Newborn babies were named Ocampo and Darfuri refugees believed that justice, followed by peace, had finally arrived.
This second arrest warrant offers yet another opportunity for us to pressure our own administration, which has been largely AWOL from Sudan since it came in to office, to make changes. Stay tuned to Sudan organizations as the next few weeks unfold. Take these quick actions and stayed tuned for more!
Here is Amira on justice and peace: