In Our Village: Darfur

By the grade 6 students of the International School of Estonia, Tallinn, Estonia

In Our Village Darfur June 2009

By the grade 6 students of the International School of Estonia, Tallinn, Estonia Sheryl Aggarwal, Camille Besnier, Vlad Grigorescu, Elyse Keck Harmon, Alexander Kjellstad, Uliana Popova, and Elizabete Zundure

Edited and compiled by Marni Malone

A very special thank you to all the parents, teachers, students, and friends who helped create this service-learning experience.

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Table of Contents ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Introduction! ! ! !

Overview! ! ! !

The Beginning! ! !

Causes to Current Conflict! !

The Purpose! ! ! !

Education! ! ! !

Who is Fighting! ! !

Life of a Child! ! !

Janjaweed! ! ! !

Religion! ! ! !

Human Rights! ! !

How to Help!! ! !

Efforts of Change! ! !

Conclusion! ! ! !

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Introduction

By Uliana Popova, Alexander Kjellstad, and Camille Besnier Elie Wiesel is a writer, professor, and political activist. He is also a Holocaust survivor. After World War II he hoped that “never again” would people fight or torture each other as they did during the war. But by looking at Darfur we can tell that not everyone has learned from the mistakes of the past. Elie Wiesel realizes it and wants to help stop conflict.

In his speech “The Perils of Indifference” Elie Wiesel stated: “Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response. Indifference is not a beginning, it is an end. And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor -never his victim”. Mr. Wiesel believes that people can change the world by opening their eyes and realizing that thousands of innocent people have been left dead or homeless because of indifference."

We wanted to help people. We wanted to make a difference in the world today. As a class, we had to vote on which topic to research – WWII and the Holocaust or Darfur.

Many of us first chose WWII but as we discussed what we wanted to accomplish, we realized that WWII happened in the past and we cannot change what happened. But Darfur is happening right now. Right this minute people in Sudan are afraid, homeless, and hungry. We decided that together we could raise awareness, stand up, and help Darfur. Our attempt follows.

Works Cited Wiesel, Elie. "The Perils of Indifference." Great Speeches. The History Place. Feb. 2009 ! <http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/wiesel.htm>.

PILOT WHO ENDED WWII - New York Post." Breaking News | Headline News | Current - New York Post. 04 Mar. 2009 <http://www.nypost.com/seven/11022007/news/nationalnews/ pilot_who_ended_wwii_291167.htm>.

What was the blitz?" Woodlands Junior School Tonbridge Kent UK. 04 Mar. 2009 <http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/war/blitz.htm>.

Pictures http://night2007.wikispaces.com/file/view/800px-Dachau_never_again.jpg !

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History and Overview

By Sheryl Aggarwal The conflict in Darfur, a real horror story, started in 2003 and continues today. Darfur has a population of 6.2 million while Sudan, where Darfur is located, has a population of 39.4 million people of different races. Not all of the people in Darfur receive proper or enough services and medical attention and many people live in poverty. Within the Darfur region 14,000 aid workers work with limited supplies to help the people in need or suffering.

As a result of the conflict 2.8 million people fled to Chad, 432,000 fled to western Darfur, 233,000 fled to southern Darfur, and 320,000 fled to northern Darfur. The people fled due to fear of raped, starvation as crops dried up, and danger of an attack on their village.

The fear is justified. Women and children make up sixty percent of Darfurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population after many men have been killed in the fighting. The conflict has reportedly displaced 2.8 million people. As Darfur is mostly a desert, water is scarce. These problems cause more people to be sick due to changes of weather; they have no shelter, which automatically means that they have no secure place to stay. 400,000 civilians have died, 150,000 from violence.

The violence between different groups cause various problems. The Darfurians (African tribes) and Arabs face violence, forcing many Darfurians to move to camps. The Sudanese army fights against the Darfurians. The limited resources of the region, primarily water, force the groups together in search of sources. Over 2 million people are in the camps, where some get tortured or beaten. When a woman exits a camp she may be beaten or raped.

In Darfur the women are in danger. !

The U.N. and many other organizations have always tried to help alleviate the Darfur crisis but the Sudanese president does not always allow these organizations to enter Sudan.

The President doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t trust the organizations and accuses them of working against him. He first neglected Southern Darfur but after the discovery of oil he neglected Northern Darfur.

Darfurians receive limited help and less chance for safety and survival. The Darfurians lose hope from the lack of help, they have no rights, and they need more people to stand up.

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Works Cited "ABC News: Google for Change in Darfur." ABC News: Online news, breaking news, ! feature stories !and more. 15 Feb. 2009 http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story? ! id=3027203&page=1 "Darfur Liberation Front / Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) / Sudan Liberation Army." !

"Darfur -." Google Video. 15 Feb. 2009 <http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=darfur&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f#>.

Darfur: A History of Genocide." "UNICEF - Sudan - Darfur - overview." UNICEF – !

UNICEF Home. 08 Feb. 2009 <http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/ ! sudan_darfuroverview.html>.

Eyes On Darfur. 14 Feb. 2009 <http://www.eyesondarfur.org/satellite.html>.

24 Hours for Darfur. 14 Feb. 2009 <http://www.24hoursfordarfur.org/main.php>.

"Facts, timeline and map | June 2007 | New Internationalist." The people, the ideas, the ! action in the fight for global justice | New Internationalist. 08 Feb. 2009 ! <http://www.newint.org/features/2007/06/01/fact>.

GlobalSecurity.org - Reliable Security Information. 18 Feb. 2009 <http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/darfur.htm>.

HumanitarianInfo.org. 14 Feb. 2009 <http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/darfur/uploads/releases/soptlight/pdf>.

In Darfur, rape is systematically used as a weaponofwarfare," Jan." Genocide Watch. 14 !

Feb. 2009<http://www.genocidewatch.org/darfurreevesonrape25june05.htm>.

"International Crisis Group - 76 Darfur Rising: Sudan's New Crisis." International Crisis !

Group - Conflict prevention and resolution. 15 Feb. 2009 <http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=2550&l=1%20>.

"Qantara.de - Darfur Conflict: Oil, Poverty and Land Degradation." Qantara.de – Dialogue ! with the Islamic World. 11 May 2009 <http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-476/_nr-196/i.html>.

"UNICEF - Sudan - Darfur - overview." UNICEF - UNICEF Home. 08 Feb. 2009 <http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/sudan_darfuroverview.html>.

UNFPA Sudan Country Office. 14 Feb. 2009 http://sudan.unfpa.org/docs/UNFPA%20GBV%20Strategy%20for% 20Darfur_06.pdf.

"YouTube - Darfur: A History of Genocide." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 15 Feb. 2009 ! <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ugxo2qW5Ao&feature=PlayList&p ! =B885FA84A310CA5C&playnext=1&index=53>.

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 15 Feb. 2009 ! <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ugxo2qW5Ao&feature=PlayList&p=B88 !

5FA84A310CA5C&playnext=1&index=53>.

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The Beginning

By Elizabete Zundure and Uliana Popova The conflict in Darfur started in 2003. Since the beginning the conflict has greatly affected the people in a region of Sudan called Darfur. The conflict in Darfur began when two local non-Arab groups accused the government of mistreating them in favour of the Arab population.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians have died and more than two million civilians have been forced to flee their homes, as people try to escape. 2,000,000 people are affected by the civil war. War is happening, people are dying, and the region of Darfur needs help to find peace.

Works Cited "Eyes on Darfur." Eyes On Darfur. 20 May 2009 http://www.eyesondarfur.org/crisis.html Pictures http://humanitarianrelief.change.org/blog/view/darfur_update_pockets_of_suffering http://shanebauer.net/photography/

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Causes to Current Conflict

By Elyse Keck Harmon Behind the tragic events in Darfur lies a very complex history. In early 2003 two rebel groups started attacking places connected to the government. The rebels believed the government’s actions were “oppressing black Africans in favor of Arabs”. The two main rebel groups involved in the conflict are the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

The fighting in Darfur continues between these two groups. !

Darfur means “the land of the Fur.” The fighting between the farmers from the Fur region and the nomadic Arabs results from both group’s desire for more land and grazing areas. The great drought and famine of 1984-1985 led to localized conflicts. According to IRIN, Julie Flint, author of Darfur: The Short History of a Long War, explains: “This generally pitted Pastoralists against farmers in a struggle for diminishing resources”. This is important because Darfur needs more food, water, and shelters. The conflict is taking a toll on the environment from the scarcity of water and lack of trees for shade or shelter from the sun.

Works Cited BBC NEWS | News Front Page. 18 May 2009 http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk.

Crimes of War Project. 18 May 2009 <http://www.crimesofwar.org/>.

Darfur Information.com. 18 May 2009 <http://darfurinformation.com/>. "(Frames)." Albion Monitor. 18 May 2009 <http://www.albionmonitor.com/0902a/default.html>.

GlobalSecurity.org - Reliable "IRIN - Print Report." IRIN " humanitarian news and analysis ! from Africa, Asia and the Middle East - updated daily. 26 May 2009 <http://www.irinnews.org/PrintReport.aspx?ReportId=72985>.

Security Information. 18 May 2009 <http://www.globalsecurity.org>.

Pictures Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3). 27 May 2009 <http://s3.amazonaws.com/ production.mediajoint.prx.org/public/piece_images/40957/foodaidpic_square.jpg>.

International Land Coalition. 27 May 2009 <http://www.landcoalition.org/cpl-blog/wp-content/ uploads/darfur-drought.jpg>. !

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The Purpose

By Sheryl Aggarwal & Elyse Keck Harmon !

The purpose of the Darfur crisis is to obtain a fair amount of resources, such as water and land, for the people involved. The government did not divide these equally among all the people.

The rebels believe that the Sudanese government favors the Arab groups. According to the rebels, the government gives more natural resources to the Arab groups, which allows them to have more control over the scarce resources. As a result, the people in the Darfur region fight for equal resources and for human rights.

During this war, more than two million people have been displaced from their homes.

Organizations such as the U.N. and UNICEF work to help Darfur but the government does not always allow these organizations to enter the county, which leaves 60% of the people without care.

Works Cited "7 Peacekeepers Killed in Ambush in Darfur - ABC News." Online news, breaking news, feature stories and more - ABC News. 29 Apr. 2009 <http://abcnews.go.com/International/ wireStory?id=5338515>.

"Causes of War in Darfur." DarfurWar.com | Darfur War. 03 Mar. 2009 <http://darfurwar.com/causes-of-war-in-darfur>.

"Darfur Liberation Front / Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) / Sudan Liberation Army." GlobalSecurity.org - Reliable Security Information. 31 Mar. 2009 <http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/darfur.htm>.

"Darfur's pain is the West's shame - The international community must stop this 'go slow' genocide, says MP and human-rights activist Irwin Cotler." Untitled Document. 02 May 2009 <http://www.irwincotler.parl.gc.ca/print.asp?lang=e&sid=2042>.

History of Darfur | June 2007 | New Internationalist." The people, the ideas, the action in the fight for global justice | New Internationalist. 03 Mar. 2009 <http://www.newint.org/features/2007/06/01/history/>.

"Trying to stop Genocide on the cheap." Brigade of PeaceMakers: for Darfur. 29 Apr. 2009 <http://brigadeofpeacemakersfordarfur.blogspot.com/2007/05/trying-tostop-genocide-on-cheap.html>.

Pictures http://www.supportdarfur.com/Darfur_refugee_camp_in_Chad.jpg http://understandingsudan.org/imageresources/Darfur-CDC.jpg !

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Education

By Camille Besnier !

Education is a very important part in a child’s life. In Darfur most of the children don’t get this chance. Different organizations work to help the children of Darfur so that they can receive an education. !

UNICEF is an association that works to protect children and so they have a part in education in Darfur. UNICEF gives money to build schools, provide school supplies, and train teachers, to support those teaching the children in Darfur. All of these efforts are made to give the Darfurian children a good education. The goal is that when the children return to school they will have the knowledge that should have if the war did not take place. UNICEF helps the education of the children in camps in Darfur because they think that if children receive an education it will help them to be less horrified by what happens all around them. !

The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children is another association helping children. The government of Darfur does not recognize education as a priority; it thinks that the end of the war is more important. The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children fights to make education a priority. They help in Darfur because they see children living without any education and with a horrible war surrounding them. They are making education more important for the government of Sudan because now more children dislocated and living in the camps receive an education. !

The war has affected the education in the way that school supplies are more difficult to get.

Like UNICEF said, if children are educated it can be easier for them to overcome what they saw and experienced. Education provides an escape from the horrors they face. The associations that try to help face many difficulties due to the war. Help work to make education better and make a difference.

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Worked Cited "Back to School in Darfur |." Education Partnership for Children of Conflict. 14 May 2009 <http:// www.educationpartnership.org/news/back-school-darfur>.

Catholic Relief Services. 14 May 2009 <http://crs.org/sudan/drfur-schools/>.

IDMC : Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. 14 May 2009 <http://www.internaldisplacement.org/8025708F004CE90B(httpDocuments)/ DBD2214A82566FF9C125726400371649/$file/dfeducrit.pdf>.

"IRC | Back to School For Darfur Refugee Children." IRC | International Rescue Committee Aiding refugees and communities victimized by war. 14 May 2009 <http://www.theirc.org/ resources/essays/back-to-school-for-darfur.html>.

ReliefWeb # Home Page. 14 May 2009 <http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb/nsf/db900sid/ ACIO-6WLCFK?OpenDocument>.

"UNICEF - Sudan - Education helps Darfur." UNICEF - UNICEF Home. 14 May 2009 <http:// www.unicef.org/infobycountry/sudan_23516.html>.

"UNICEF - Tchad - L'#ducation de Fatna : pour cette fille r#fugi#e au Tchad, la possibilit# d'apprendre." UNICEF - UNICEF Home. 14 May 2009 <http://www.unicef.org/french/ infobycountry/chad_33384.html>.

Pictures http://theirc.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/gm_education.jpg http://crs.org/newsroom/egan-award/img/herlinger-2008.jpg

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Who is Fighting?

By Vlad Grigorescue, Elizabete Zundure and Sheryl Aggarwal

Who is fighting in the conflict in Darfur? Hundreds of people die each day as the war continues between various groups: rebels, the government, African tribes, and Arabs. While the rebels fight independently, the government and the Janjaweed fight together, and the other groups like the U.N., African tribes, and Arabs remain neutral.

One reason for the fighting is the claim that the government has neglected northern and southern Darfurians. The fight though is over the land. Decisions the government made started the rebellion. The government, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), and Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) remain the key groups involved in the conflict. JEM wants the natural resources in Darfur, meaning mainly oil, equally distributed. The SLA, in addition to equal distribution, wants greater political rights.

While agreements have not been reached, the groups involved do make efforts to reach a peace agreement. In February, the groups met in Doha, Qatar to plan an exchange of prisoners, which shows they try to make peace and want their people back. The government and JEM, with help from the U.N. are working to find an agreement to stop the fighting. So far, no agreement has been reached.

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Works Cited "Causes of War in Darfur." DarfurWar.com | Darfur War. 03 Mar. 2009 <http://darfurwar.com/causes-of-war-in-darfur>.

"CNS STORY: Church workers say Darfur's real fight is over resources." Catholic News Service Home Page. 03 Mar. 2009 <http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0504026.htm>.

Environmental Degradation As A Cause Of Conflict In DARFUR. University of Peace. 3 Mar. 2009 <http://www.upeace.org/library/documents/darfur_cp.pdf>.

"News - Africa: Sudan, Darfur to exchange prisoners." IOL: News for South Africa and the World. 14 May 2009 http://www.iol.co.za/index.php? click_id=68&art_id=nw20090216201930577C248382&set_id=1.

"South Darfur fighting must cease for sake of suffering civilians." Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. 03 Feb. 2009 <http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?

NewsID=29755&Cr=Darfur&Cr1>.

Pictures <http://sudanjem.com/grafic/jem_logo.gif>. <http://www.javno.com/en-world/tribal-fighting-displaces-thousands-in-darfur_196142>.

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Life of a Child !

By Camille Besnier, Elyse Keck Harmon, and Sheryl Aggarwal Darfurian children lives are very different from ours because of the conflict they face daily. Their lives are not easy; some of the children don’t receive an education or have a home. Most live in the camps. Darfurian children are in the middle of a conflict and they all know that they face death daily.

The Darfurian children face difficulty and we need to help these children. Some girls are raped at very young ages. Children see their house burned and are left with the only choice of running away from them. They run with the hope that they will arrive at the nearest camp. If they do they will be safer and they will have a kind of home. Arriving to the nearest camp means much to Darfurian people.

One such child is Adam. On the 24th of September Adam’s life changed. He was on a camel and people came to kidnap him. He strongly resisted but the kidnapers pulled him off the camel and he fell on the ground. When he fell he broke a part of his leg and he couldn’t walk anymore. His friend who saw everything got up and ran to the nearest camp.

The doctor says that he is not sure that Adam will be able to walk after what happened.

Many of the people that are in camp are there because they escaped from something that could have killed them. The children in those camps are shocked from what they have seen.

ACT is one association that helps the sick children in Darfur camps. They give the sick children a plastic bag containing: corn, soya, sugar, and oil. The problem is that the children’s families are hungry too, and the family shares what was suppose to be only for the sick child. The families simply answer, “What can we do?”.

The war has changed many things, not only for children, but for everyone. For the children their education is not the same. Associations are working to improve this situation.

For adults it is hard too. They need to change their style of living because their home is now a camp with less access to food. The biggest dream for everyone is to be free, to be able to go back to their village and rebuild their house, and to live in peace again.

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Worked Cited ACT - News - Recent attacks in South Darfur change lives forever." ACT International. 14 May 2009 <http://act-intl.org/news.php?uid=34>.

"Day 6: Darfur's Children - Video." Metacafe - Video Entertainment - Movies, TV, Music & Sports. 14 May 2009 <http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1619455/ day_6_darfurs_children/>.

Lutheran World Relief - Disaster Response, Fair Trade, and Advocacy. 14 May 2009 <http:// www.lwr.org/news/05/03705.asp>.

"NPR: Page Not Found." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts. 14 May 2009 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyld=4778029>.

Pictures http://www.flickr.com/photos/86512610@N00/139772821/ http://www.hyscience.com/archives/Darfur-woman_child.jpg

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Janjaweed

By Vlad Grigorescue The Janjaweed has changed many peoples’ lives. To understand what is happening in Darfur we must first understand what the Janjaweed is. The word Janjaweed means a “man with a gun on a horse” which describes how the Janjaweed look. In an article on PBS.org, Oliver Read says: “Experts say that the Janjaweed immigrated from a warlord from Chad then moved to Darfur and teamed up with Arab tribes”. Some people believe that the Janjaweed come from a tribe called the Rizeygat. This very brief history of the Janjaweed does not tell why they fight though. When desertification occurred, the nomadic Arabs suffered as most did not own as much as land as the black farmers. The conflict over land has been explained as one possible reason for the fighting. !

Most people believe the government controls the leaders of the Janjaweed. One possible reason for this belief: the Janjaweed only fight the rebels and not the government. The government also promised to disarm the Janjaweed but has not. The government denies any connection to the Janjaweed. The government probably denies association with the Janjaweed to avoid arrest for war crimes. !

The Janajweed also tends to hide and function in small groups. The leaders of these groups are Arab tribe leaders. Who then are the Janjaweed enemies? They fight against non-Arabs. Many people accuse the Janjaweed of attacking the weaker people who cannot defend themselves. !

The Janjaweed has caused many people to leave their homes. Many men have been killed and women raped. The ones who have survived fear for their lives. The Janjaweed does not only kill but also burns down villages and destroys crops so the people have nothing left. This makes it harder for the people to live and get food. After this war is over who is going to take these people back to their homes? That will be a big problem. This can lead to economic problems for the government. This war will make this region of Sudan a difficult place to live in and is destroying the image of the country.

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Works Cited A closer look: where do the Janjaweed come from? | STAND." STAND | Don't stand by, STAND up! !

21 Apr. 2009 <http://www.standnow.org/blog/closer-look-where-do-janjaweed-come>.

AllAfrica.com: Sudan: Janjaweed Loyalty to Bashir Under Strain (Page 1 of 1).AllAfrica.com: !

Home. 21 !

Apr. 2009 <http://allafrica.com/stories/200902030777.html>.

"BBC NEWS | Africa | Sudan's shadowy Arab militia." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. 21 Apr. !

2009 ! <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3613953.stm>.

Educate | Genocide Intervention Network." Genocide Intervention Network | Stop the Darfur !

Genocide | ! Have a Hand in Stopping Genocide. 21 Apr. 2009 <http:// ! www.genocideintervention.net/educate/darfur>.

GOAL Ireland. 21 Apr. 2009 <http://www.goal.ie/newsroom/irishcatholic0706.shtml>.

"Janjaweed loyalty to Bashir under strain | Human Rights Tribune - www.humanrights-geneva.info." !

Human Rights Tribune - www.humanrights-geneva.info 21 Apr. 2009 <http://www.humanrights-geneva.info/Janjaweed-loyalty-to-Bashir-under,4078>.

Koerner Brendan I. “Who are the Janjaweed?” Slate July 19 2005. 7 February 2009 ! < http://www.slate.com/id/2104210/ > "Reuters AlertNet - Darfur dispatch: The meticulous cruelty of the Janjaweed."Reuters AlertNet – Homepage. 21 Apr. 2009 <http://www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/30298/2006/09/23110311-1.htm>.

"RealClearPolitics - Articles - Janjaweed Peace." RealClearPolitics - Opinion, News, Analysis, !

Videos and Polls. 21 Apr. 2009 <http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/08/ ! janjaweed_peace.html>.

"Search - Global Edition - The New York Times." The New York Times - Breaking News, World !

News & Multimedia. 21 Apr. 2009 <http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/12/news/ ! darfur.php?page=1>.

The New Yorker. 21 Apr. 2009 <http://www.newyorker.com/>.

"The Online NewsHour: Crisis in Sudan | Janjaweed Militia |." PBS. 21 Apr. 2009 <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/africa/darfur/militia.html>.

"Violence, Food Crisis in Sudan Worsen as Militias Keep Hold." Global Action on Aging. 21 Apr. !

2009 <http://www.globalaging.org/armedconflict/countryreports/africa/sudan.htm>.

Pictures "01-Home_Page.htm - WRH Your GardenHome Architects, Custom Designers of Single Family Homes Embraced by Livable Gardens" 27 May 2009 <http://gardenhomearchitects.com/ Darfur-Janjaweed.gif>.

Save Darfur Canada - Solidarité Darfour Canada. 27 May 2009 <http://www.sdcanada.org/images/backgrounder/burning_village_Steidle.jpg>.

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Religion

By Elizabete Zundure The people living in the Darfur region practice different religions. Muslims primarily live in the north part of Sudan, while Christians reside in the south part of Sudan. They live apart from each other because they have conflicts between the different religions. The number of Muslims ranges from 50-70%, believers in traditional religion 25-35%, and Christians range between 4-5%. More than half Sudanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population was Muslim in early 1990s.

Works Cited "OPINION: SUDAN, OIL, AND AFRICAN MUSLIM VS. AFRICAN MUSLIM." 1A1: Sudan Page @Sudan.Net. 25 May 2009 <http://www.sudan.net/news/press/postedr/305.shtml>.

"Sudan - RELIGION." Country Studies. 25 May 2009 <http://countrystudies.us/sudan/47.htm>.

"Sudan / Religions." LookLex [Travel guides / Encyclopaedia / Language course]. 25 May 2009 <http://looklex.com/e.o/sudan.religions.htm>.

Pictures http://image.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/Darfurfamily(2).jpg

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Human Rights

By Alexander Kjellstad and Vlad Grigorescue Everyone has human rights. It is very good that people have them or there would be even more suffering in the world. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, endorsed by the United Nations in 1948, aims to protect all people everywhere. Article one states: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”. This article sets the goal of the declaration, that all people are to be treated fairly regardless of differences. The United Nations made the right choice by creating human rights.

Unfortunately, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not always practiced.

Human rights are being violated in Darfur. People are physically abused. Since February 2003 when the conflict in Darfur started it is believed that hundreds of thousands of people have died. Amnesty International say, “Systematic human rights abuses have occurred, including killing, torture, rape, looting and destroying of property by all parties involved in the conflict, but primarily by the Sudanese government and government-backed Janjaweed militia”. Many bad things are happening in Sudan, things that should not be happening if the world followed the Declaration. These rights shouldn’t be broken but sadly they are.

Working together we can stop them from being violated and we can make the world a better place.

Works Cited "BBC NEWS | World | Africa | UN rules out genocide in Darfur." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. 04 Mar. 2009 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4224757.stm>.

CONTINUING KILLINGS, RAPES, HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE IN DARFUR THREATEN PEACE IN WHOLE OF SUDAN, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL." Welcome to the UN. It's your world. 04 Mar. 2009 <http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sc8668.doc.htm> "Human Rights Day, 10 December 2007." Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. 15 May 2009 <http://www.un.org/events/humanrights/2007/>.

"Part 1 - What Are Human Rights?" University of Minnesota. 15 May 2009 <http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/edumat/hreduseries/hereandnow/Part- 1/ whatare.htm>. !

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"ReliefWeb." ReliefWeb Âť Home Page. 04 Mar. 2009 <http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/AllDocsByUNID/7795295d2bc2b3b58525 6e8d005c3906>.

"Sudan Human Rights." Amnesty International USA - Protect Human Rights. 27 May 2009 <http://www.amnestyusa.org/all-countries/sudan/page.do?id=1011244>.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. United Nations. 27 May 2009 <http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/>.

United Nations Human Rights Experts Call for Urgent, Effective Action on Darfur, Sudan." UNIS. 04 Mar. 2009 <http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2005/ afr1126.html>.

"What are Human Rights." Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights / OHCHR Welcome page. 15 May 2009 <http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Pages/WhatareHumanRights.aspx>.\ What Human Rights Are - Youth for Human Rights International." Youth For Human Rights International. 15 May 2009 <http://youthforhumanrights.org/introduction/

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How to Help

By Camille Besnier and Vlad Grigorescue We all have the power to stand up and help Darfur. Have you ever wondered how you can help the world or what people have done? We have. Here are some ways to help the people of Darfur.

When a person sees what is happening they will finally be aware of the bad that is happening in the world. A person can do a lot more than just donate money and other objects. Join organizations. Urge the media to write about Darfur. Ask your government to do something to help Darfur. Teach other people about what is happening in Darfur. Protest.

People can help to end the war. By backing the conflictâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end we show that we care about other people. Helping Darfur means treating people in Darfur as human and that the people of Darfur deserve a life without war.

Worked Cited Channel The Change Darfur. 15 May 2009 <http://www.channelthechange.com/>.

"Darfur Divestment - Ten things you can do to help Darfur." Darfur Divestment - Home. 15 May 2009 <http://www.darfurdivestment.org/Ten_things_you_can_do_to_help_Darfur/>.

Pictures http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articlethumbs/thumb_39557-darfur-protest.jpg http://vigenin.eu/uf/1370_y_type_y_6/Human_Rights_Logo.jpg

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Efforts of Change

By: Uliana Popova Darfur is in trouble. It has been in trouble for quite a while now. In February 2003 the war between the Arab–dominated Sudanese government and local rebel groups started. Since then this war has taken over 100,000 lives and has made over 2 million people homeless. This is why changes need to happen quickly. Many international organizations, in particularly the United Nations, have become interested in the conflict. The organizations have offered their help and produced a report that accused the Sudanese government of killing innocent people. Change needs to happen quickly but people also need to understand that it will not be easy to solve Darfur’s problems.

The actions the United Nations has taken towards change include: teaching, feeding, and providing medications for refugees. The UN also tries to rebuild damaged homes to help refugees return home. During the war many families became separated from each other. The United Nations works to reunite the families. All of these voluntary efforts have brought attention from the media.

This attention increases people’s awareness about what is happening. Understanding will have positive effects on Sudan and on the world in general. As more and more people become aware of the conflict and the pain that it brings the Sudanese people, the Sudanese government will need to behave in a more humane way. The whole world now watches and judges their actions. People from all over the world will be educated about this conflict and work to prevent it from happening again.

Not only people but also foreign institutions have become interested in the situation in Darfur. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has looked closely at Darfur and is now working to send to prison those responsible for the conflict. However, it is proving to be very difficult because the Sudanese government says that the ICC cannot arrest anyone on Sudanese territory as Sudan has its own court. !

The war in Darfur has been going on for too long. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, left homeless, and poor. People need to take action. Darfur needs help and needs change to become safer and more peaceful.

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Works Cited African Union- United Nations Hybrid Operator in Darfur. 18 May 2009 http://unamid.unmissions.org/ Amnesty International USAAction for human rights. Hope And Humanity.

18 May 2009http://www.amnestyusa.org/darfur/page.do?id=1351050 BBC NEWS | Africa | ICC issues Darfur arrest warrants, 18 May 2009 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6614903.stm BBC NEWS | Africa | Q&A: Sudan's Darfur conflict, 18 May 2009 ! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3496731.stm UN warns of growing death toll in Darfur | theage.com.au, 18 May 2009 http://www.theage.com.au/world/un-warns-of-growing-death-toll-indarfur-20090325-9ajq.html Pictures http://www.welt.de/multimedia/archive/00609/eng_darfur_BM_Vermi_609172g.jpg http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42093000/jpg/_42093542_darfur_afp203b.jpg

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Conclusion

By Uliana Popova and Alexander Kjellstad " This conflict will continue until people start to help Darfur. "More people will die every day. The population in Sudan will decrease. We have to stop this. "Stand up, don’t stand by. We don’t want more people to die. It will break the promise to the world “Never Again” will we stand by indifferently while people fight and torture each other. "More people will be tortured, raped and killed. This is the worst humanitarian crisis today and it will get worse by the hour if we don’t do anything now. We have to raise awareness to create change.

Works Cited BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Q&A: Sudan's Darfur conflict." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. 28 May 2009 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3496731.stm>.

"Impact of Armed Conflict on Children." UNICEF - UNICEF Home. 28 May 2009 http://www.unicef.org/graca/ "Making Sense of Darfur 24Chad." Home. 28 May 2009 <http://www.ssrc.org/blogs/darfur/category/darfur/chad/>. " "

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