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ACTION: Tell Obama and McCain to Support the ICC
An important action alert from our friends at Stop Genocide Now.
On September 10th the government of Sudan launched new attacks on ZamZam Camp for internally displaced persons. Many of those who were injured and killed were already forced to flee their homes one, two or three times. This attack comes a week after an attack on Kalma Camp by government troops. This violence is unacceptable. Our leadership has not done enough to end this violence. We need to build the political will to move our leaders to action.
When we speak to refugees in the camps, they tell us that peace will not come before justice.
The candidates have spoken out on Darfur, but they have yet to stand behind the ICC case against Sudan’s President al-Bashir. This case will begin the process of justice and reconciliation for Darfuris who have suffered, and continue to suffer every day. The Kalma Massacre, recent attacks on ZamZam Camp, and al-Bashir’s threats against humanitarian aid workers are war crimes. We cannot allow his threats and military action in Darfur to continue as we stand by. Violence has led to yet another NGO pullout leaving a 1/2 million people without aid and another attack on World Food Program envoy may push them to also pull out, leaving millions without assistance. The next President must be prepared to uphold justice and bring peace to the region today not tomorrow. The first step is for both Obama and McCain to support the ICC case.
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Continue Reading: ACTION: Tell Obama and McCain to Support the ICC
ACTION: McCain and Obama — Tell Voters Your Darfur Plan
From one of our allies: The Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur has launched a new Facebook page designed to encourage the US presidential candidates to tell voters their Darfur plan BEFORE the election. Our goal is to grow to 100,000 members. By doing so, we will demonstrate to the candidates and to the press corps that Darfur is an issue that deserves frequent and specific attention on the campaign trail. We are now working to quickly ratchet up the numbers and need your help.
We hope that this page will be joined by people from around the world so that the candidates see that the international community cares about their stand on this issue.
For those of you with a Facebook profile, we hope you will become a “fan,” use the “share” button to post to your profile, and send the page to your friends. Click here to go to the page.
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Continue Reading: ACTION: McCain and Obama — Tell Voters Your Darfur Plan
ACTION: Submit a video question to the presidential candidates
The deadline for this action is Midnight EST today.
If you have twenty minutes or so today, please consider sending a Darfur-related video question to the NAACP for its 2008 Presidential Forum with Senators Barack Obama and John McCain. Feel free to craft your own personal angle with your video. You might ask the presidential candidates to outline their concrete step-by-step plan to bring peace and security to Darfur. Or ask them about more specific issues, such as the need to impose targeted multilateral sanctions against the Government of Sudan’s senior leaders, and the need for the U.S. to support the expansion of the ICC’s open case on Darfur.
Find out how to submit your question here.
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Continue Reading: ACTION: Submit a video question to the presidential candidates
Tell the U.S. to make it a month for Darfur
[From American Jewish World Service:]
It’s been four years since the United Nations Security Council first addressed the violence in Darfur. But the devastation continues.
It’s time for the world to act.
Right now, the United States has the opportunity to demonstrate its leadership. During the month of June, the U.S. holds the presidency of the United Nations Security Council. This is a key opportunity for the U.S. to push for concrete international actions that will make a difference for the people of Darfur.
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Continue Reading: Tell the U.S. to make it a month for Darfur
ACTION: Arrest War Criminals in Darfur
Ahmad Harun, Sudan’s former Minister of the Interior and current Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Janjawid leader Ali Kushayb, are charged with multiple counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur. Amnesty International is campaigning for their arrest and surrender to the International Criminal Court (ICC) the Government of Sudan continues to refuse to do so.
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Continue Reading: ACTION: Arrest War Criminals in Darfur
ACTION: Tell TIAA-CREF to put genocide-free investing on the ballot
Join Investors Against Genocide and tell TIAA-CREF to put genocide-free investing on the ballot for their shareholder meeting on July 15. To learn more about this campaign, read IAG’s Op-Ed in The Chronicle of Higher Education. For your convenience we’ve included the Op-Ed below.
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Tell TIAA-CREF You Do Not Want Your Retirement Money to Support Genocide
By Eric Cohen
TIAA-CREF, a $400-billion provider of financial services, promotes itself with the tag line “financial services for the greater good.” In a recent television commercial, the company proclaimed its “unique insight into the hearts and minds of those who give us hope for the future.” Its literature asserts that it has been “refining our approach to Socially Responsible Investing for nearly 30 years” and that it is “bound to do things very differently” from other financial institutions.
While TIAA-CREF’s marketing messages may be well-suited for its target customers in the academic, medical, cultural, and research fields, its record of actively investing in the worst companies financing the genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan, tells a different and far less noble story.
Continue Reading: ACTION: Tell TIAA-CREF to put genocide-free investing on the ballot
ACTION: Collect some signatures for Darfur
I received this email from the Save Darfur Coalition earlier this week. Will you help them collect grassroots signatures in advance of the U.S.’s presidency of the UN Security Council? - Nikki
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You may have heard about the recent escalation of violence in Sudan. We are already receiving word that the government is retaliating. Reports indicate that government forces have been detaining, torturing and killing Darfuris in and around Khartoum, and Janjaweed militias have commenced attacks in North Darfur.
As leaders of local Darfur activist groups, I wanted to make sure to send you have the most up-to-date information as we receive it, and that you are equipped to react.
Last week many of you signed our online petition urging President Bush to help expedite deployment of peacekeepers and help protect Darfuri civilians. Now we’re asking local activist groups like yours to get the word out the old-fashioned way — within your own community.
Can your local Darfur group help us reach our 75,000 signature goal by the end of May? Click here to learn more and to download our printable petition to gather signatures in your community.
Continue Reading: ACTION: Collect some signatures for Darfur
ACTION: Tell President Bush - Don’t Normalize Ties with Khartoum
[Apr. 23, 2008 Update: This is a key action alert, so please keep calling! Thank you. -Nikki]
How: Call the White House comments line (202-456-1111), and leave this message with the operator on the other end:
“The U.S. must NOT normalize ties with the Government of Sudan. If anything, our administration should do the opposite in order to pressure the perpetrators of the Darfur genocide. Namely, the U.S. should lead the international community in imposing targeted multilateral sanctions against Khartoum’s senior leaders.”
Why: Now’s not the time to let up. Last week, The New York Times reported that the U.S. is considering normalizing ties with the Sudanese government and lifting the unilateral sanctions that are currently in place against it. This would be in exchange for Khartoum’s acceptance of Thai and Nepalese peacekeepers into Darfur, among other things.
Here’s the problem, though: Sudan has already formally agreed to let these UN peacekeepers in.
The U.S. cannot take this conciliatory approach to stopping genocide. If anything, the current administration needs to do the exact opposite — it needs to ramp up the pressure by helping to impose targeted multilateral sanctions against Khartoum’s senior leaders.
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Continue Reading: ACTION: Tell President Bush - Don’t Normalize Ties with Khartoum
ACTION: Stay home, Mr. President
[From the Save Darfur Coalition:]
If you were invited to a party hosted by the enablers of the genocide of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, would you go?
Join me in urging President Bush not to attend the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Tell President Bush to take a stand for human rights and skip the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
China has the power to convince the Sudanese government to accept deployment of the United Nations-African Union (UNAMID) peacekeeping forces for Darfur. But instead China remains Sudan’s major weapons provider, largest foreign investor and trade partner, and diplomatic apologist.
Continue Reading: ACTION: Stay home, Mr. President
ACTION: Darfur can’t wait. U.S. aid needed now
[From American Jewish World Service:]
In response to the ongoing suffering of the Darfuri people, the very least our Congress can do is provide the funding needed for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid.
The upcoming emergency supplemental bill is the only opportunity for Congress to provide critical financial assistance to the Darfuri people this year. Please click here to send an email to your legislators — demand that the U.S. plays its part by fully funding these urgent needs.
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Continue Reading: ACTION: Darfur can’t wait. U.S. aid needed now