Safety Concerns

In March, UNAMID reported that a fire was set at a camp in Darfur, killing two and injuring three others. As attacks, carjackings and violence has risen, so has the concern for the safety of peacekeepers in the region. The lack of proper equipment and cooperation from the government have kept these concerns high as the troops continue on their mission to protect civilians.

The Arrival of Necessities for Peacekeepers

In January, the US began moving essential peacekeeping equipment, including water filtration systems and armored vehicles, to Darfur from Rwanda, with the goal of moving over 150 tons to the region to assist in the efforts and support peacekeepers.
Why did it take so long for it to become a list-topper to move equipment into the region? I understand that there is bureaucratic red tape that has to be cut through before the ball starts rolling, but UNAMID had been in Darfur taking charge of peacekeeping for an entire year before this new equipment began to arrive.

UNAMID

UNAMID is the African Union/United Nations hybrid operation in Darfur. UNAMID is authorized to take measures supporting the Darfur Peace Agreement and to protect civilians. Under the current laws, operations will continue with UNAMID through July 31, 2009. Although goals were to have a full deployment of around 20,000 troops, they have not reached those numbers due to various factors, and continuously lack the proper equipment to carry out their duties.

Civilian Protection

As documented here, UNAMID has recently scaled up protection of civilians in Darfur and have significantly decreased the number of civilian deaths since taking over peacekeeping efforts in 2008.
While the peacekeepers are working to do their part, it has been stressed that without political progression civilians will continue to be at risk.

A Shockingly Truthful Political Cartoon

I found this political cartoon to be particulary interesting, because it shows (with blatant honesty) how neglected this issue was. For quite some time, the US and UN refused to acknowledge this as an actual genocide, thus furthering the omission of the genocide.

The Genocide In Darfur Video

It's a video that I found on youtube. It uses some startling images to show the true horror of the reality in Darfur. There are some interesting statistics as well. Take a gander!

Canadian Students For Darfur

I found this site to be both informative and somewhat inspiring. It is a student-run site supporting the efforts in Darfur as well as keeping up on information (facts, details, etc.) on said issue. Check it out if you have a minute. They give some solid information about how this all started and how the genocide has "evolved" (in a negative fashion, of course).

http://www.csfdarfur.net/about/about_darfur.php

The Janjaweed Militia

Above is a photo of the Janjaweed Militia. Obviously posessing a domineering demeanor, it is no wonder the citizens of Darfur are terrified of this group. "Refugees from Darfur say that following air raids by government aircraft, the Janjaweed ride into villages on horses and camels, slaughtering men, raping women and stealing whatever they can find."

Genocide in Darfur Video

After watching a few videos I found this one to be among the best. This video is about an American man's personal experience in sudan. He tells first hand many things, including alot of information, explains alot, and shows alot of what is going on in Darfur.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMBZpGRF4tg&feature=related

Recent Darfur news

This recent news article gives a little background information on Omar Hassan Al- Bashir Sudan's President. It also explains how he is wanted for crimes against humanity. He has left the country six times after the warrant was issued, and is still free.
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/omar_hassan_al_bashir/index.html

Proof of Genocide

I find this article to be a nice explanation of the genocide in Darfur. It explains what genocide is defined by the U.N.. It then gives good examples of how what is occuring in Darfur matches what Genocide is. At the end of the article it goes on to explain the resistance and denial of genocide by other countries.
http://www.genocidewatch.org/aboutgenocide/stantonprovinggenindarfur.htm

Genocide In Darfur Timeline

This link is interesting for a number of reasons. One reason this link is interesting is because its a timeline of events since the start of genocide in Darfur. Another reason this is a good link is it gives links to news stories on most of the events that are on the timline.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/sudan/darfur.html

Darfur Now (2007)

"Darfur Now" is a movie that came out in 2007. It gives you an inside look into the peoples lives. Different opinions about this movie have been said. Some felt it was boring, others felt it was moving. Some of the actors/political activist in this movie were Don Cheadle, Hilary Rodham Clinton, and Arnold Schwarzenegger and many more. You can read more about it at this web site. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988102/
Personally I will be trying to view the movie in the next couple of weeks. It seems to me that it is the least that I can do.

Get Involved Through Darfur.org

This link is helpful to anyone who wants to get involved. I found out so much info from this site. Many actor activist get involved through this website too. It also give information regarding the pending legislation for the U.S. I am going to look into a student outreach program for NSCC. I am not sure how but I am going to check into it.
http://www.savedarfur.org/page/group/ActorsfortheEndofGenocideAEG

President Obama's opinion on Darfur

Click on this link to listen to how President Obama feels about the situation in Dafur. There are several things he thinks will help in preventing a genocide never happening again. He does not plan on abandoning the people of Darfur. This is an encouraging link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEd583-fA8M

Startling Statistics

Above are very startling statistics taken from Darfur refugees.

Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival - Chapter Excerpt

The following website will take you to a page where you can read an excerpt from Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival. It is a dreadful account of a bombing and a realization of the unsafeness that still exists in Darfur.
http://www.alternet.org/rights/46918/

Music Makes a Difference

I was talking with a colleague of mine and mentioned the blogging project to her. She informed me that her Alma Mata, Berklee College of Music, was heavily involved in helping the cause. I checked out their website, and sure enough there was plenty of information. Berklee students and staff worked on creating a musical cd written and performed by Berklee students. Check out the following link for information and samples of songs.
http://www.berklee.edu/darfur/

Do We Need To Visit Darfur In Order To Help?

Does one need to visit Darfur in order to get involved. It seems that Ryan Gosling got involved after having visited Darfur. Do we need to send some of our political representatives in order for them to get involved? What do we need to do to get our government to help the people of Darfur?
The attached article is the article about how Ryan Gosling felt before and after visiting Darfur.
http://www.accesshollywood.com/ryan-gosling-speaks-on-washington-panel-for-darfur_article_10258