As you know, a short time ago I was in Sudan and South Sudan. I saw atrocities that I will never forget and thus I keep pounding here on GretaWire trying to get attention to this genocide. Every time I speak to a US Senator I mention the Sudan. No, I don’t have the answers…but I sure don’t want the world to turn their backs on the people who live there. All they want is to live in peace without their President bombing them and burning their villages.
(The picture is from Reverend Franklin Graham and Samaritan Purse website.)
Here is the latest that I just received:
Today, July 31st, marks a bloody day that Sudanese will live to remember. The National Congress government, security and police opened fire on the peaceful demonstration in Nyala, the capital of Southern Darfur, which has witnessed a genocide and war crimes under the same regime. They killed 8 women and men and wounded more than 58 and the peaceful demonstration was mostly students and young women and men. This is in Western Sudan. At the same time in the last four days, the Sudanese airforce is continuing to bombard innocent hungry civilian populations in many villages in Blue Nile, South East Sudan. They killed 2 and wounded dozens. And it is the same regime that is taking half a million civilians hostage in Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile. We appeal to all people of conscience and in particular to Madam Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is visiting the region soon, to send a clear and loud message to Khartoum to stop killing innocent peaceful demonstrators and to release more than 3,000 detainees, many of them are young women, and to open access for humanitarian assistance for half a million who are starving to death. They were denied humanitarian access for one year. Khartoum is putting obstacles to the humanitarian negotiations in Addis Ababa by linking it to political agenda and gains.
Yasir Arman
Secretary General, SPLM-North
July 31, 2012
