THIS IS THE YEAR THAT THE DARFUR GENOCIDE MUST STOP BUT IT WON'T unless you and I make it a PRIORITY

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE WORTH?

WHAT DOES YOUR FREEDOM ENABLE YOU TO DO?

MAKE IT WORTH MORE....

Dear Person of Conscience and reader of my post,

We CAN stop genocide. But doing nothing and saying nothing and not pressuring our elected politicians and other countries' politicians will guarantee one thing ~ Genocide will continue in our lifetime. And others' lifetimes will end.

Why not use your freedom to speak to your elected politicians?

CALL

1-800-GENOCIDE
and get connected

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Today marks the 14th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide, a horrific event that claimed the lives of more than 800,000 people in just four months. Sadly, today we bring you new proof that genocide is not a problem of the past.

Compelling satellite images, obtained last month by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), evidence a renewed campaign of village bombings by the Sudanese government. The villages were attacked by the government just a few weeks ago, on February 8, using helicopters, MiG fighter jets and Antanov bomber planes, accompanied by uniformed Janjaweed.

The photo above shows the destruction of Abu Suruj, a once bustling village in West Darfur, now largely deserted. Note the small dark pixels around the market-like structures are people. Click here to view more images -- including those from Silea and Sirba -- two other villages in West Darfur that were also bombed and attacked by Janjaweed at the same time.

We failed to protect people in Rwanda 14 years ago. We don't have to make the same mistake now. You can make a difference for the people of Darfur, like the villagers of Abu Suruj, who have had their lives destroyed by the ongoing genocide. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution today in memory of the victims of Rwanda.

Will you help?

This is Fatimah*, a Darfurian woman who lives in a Displaced Persons Camp in Darfur, and who is a beneficiary of GI-Net's Civilian Protection Program. Thanks to contributions from individuals like you, GI-Net was able to purchase a small sewing machine shared by Fatimah and three other women, allowing her to make clothes to sell as a source of income for her family. With the money she earns from sewing, Fatimah is able to purchase firewood in the camp market rather than having to gather it in the unprotected areas outside the camp. Women who do not have enough money to buy firewood in the camp market must leave the relative safety of the camps to search for it -- sometimes 15 hours at a time -- exposing them to rape and attack by roving Janjaweed and militiamen.

GI-Net's Civilian Protection Program is the only program in Darfur that offers direct solutions to the problem of unprotected civilians. In the past eight months, GI-Net provided 500 displaced Darfurian women with income-generating projects, such as sewing machines, chickens and vegetable seeds, so that they could earn enough money to stay out of the unsafe areas beyond the camps. It costs just $16.50 to purchase one pair of chickens -- enough to increase a family's income by 15%. Click here to learn about this and our other civilian protection projects.

Over the next six months, GI-Net will provide income-generating activities to 1,000 more families like Fatimah's. We will also expand our protection program to include additional strategies. We are building propane-powered kitchens in the camps so women have an alternative to using firewood when they can't afford it. We are also working on training and development with the United Nations African Mission in Darfur to ensure the mission has the tools it needs to effectively protect civilians. But we cannot do this without your generosity.

Please help GI-Net protect civilians in Darfur by making a tax-deductible donation.

Today you can commemorate the 14th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide by committing to take action. Join GI-Net in a National Week of Action for Darfur, starting today. Make a contribution to protect civilians in Darfur and check out the schedule of events happening all across the nation.

Thanks for all you do to help end genocide!

-- Janessa, Jess, Colin and the GI-Net team

I received the above email today from the Genocide Intervention Network which includes STAND.

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I received the following three emails today:

Email #1:

Dear all,

I got news via phone that the Janjaweed forces entered
Elfasher (where my mother, sisters, brothers) and
spread terror in the city. They gathered first at the
Military headquarters not far from the center of the
city. Then they moved with their arms towards the
market of the city where civilians fled in panic. Then
they entered some of the neighborhoods firing their
arms. So far more than ten people are killed and many
injured. Still I am trying to find out what is
happening to my family there. I will keep you posted.

Mohamed S...

Email #2:

Thank you all for your prayers.
My Family ( mother, sister, brothers) are OK for
now. but the whole City is tense. People locked in
their homes and stayed in. Some ventured today
(relatives of the killed individuals) for their
funerals to bury the dead. The Governor showed up to
calm the people but he was belted with stones. The
police intervened . We are waiting for more news.
The Janjaweed came from Kutum ( North) and other
locations protesting for delay in their payments from
the Government of Sudan. When they didn't get
satisfying answer they headed towards the market for
looting.

Mohamed S...

Email #3:

The latest news things are still tense in the City.
The Governor (pro-Khartoum) closed some main roads
and installed machine Guns at the corners. The
Janjaweed had murdered one rebel officials (the
faction that signed the peace agreement DPA). The
killers gunned him in his house and retreated to their
camps. The police said they have no jurisdiction on
the janjaweed. So far four names of the murdered
people revealed (including the rebel official and a
woman, plus two civilians). The total toll of the dead
is unknown. Here is an earlier report from Reuters: thenews

Mohamed S...

P.S. Forward this message to family and friends and help us grow the anti-genocide movement.

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MAKE IT THIS YEAR....

We CAN stop genocide. But doing nothing and saying nothing and not pressuring our elected politicians and other countries' politicians will guarantee one thing ~ Genocide will continue in our lifetime. And others' lifetimes will end.

Why not use your freedom to speak to your elected politicians?

CALL

1- 800 - GENOCIDE
and get connected