Amnest International on the Darfur Crisis

Dear Supporter,

I recently traveled to Chad on a mission with Amnesty International to document and shine a light on the widespread human rights abuses taking place along the border with Darfur.

In a town called Ade, just south of the border with Sudan, traumatized villagers who have fled there in search of safety live in constant fear of the next attack by the Janjaweed militias and local Arab fighters. Humanitarian assistance is virtually non-existent, and there is a great sense of despair.

We learned also of a terrible attack on the once vibrant village of Djorlo. Attacks by Janjaweed fighters left 43 villagers shot or burned to death, including three young children. Seven women were abducted during the course of that attack and then gang raped in front of the village mosque.

Everywhere we went, we met village chiefs who shared with us the names of their murdered kinfolk with great solemnity. At each meeting, we asked for their names. Together, we compiled lists that soon filled page after page in our notebooks. Before leaving, the village chiefs would always thank us - thank Amnesty - for coming. One told us he had gone to the capital to speak with authorities, spoke frequently with local government and military officials, international agencies, and others, but no one had ever asked him for the names. And he looked me in the eyes and told me how much that matters.

My visit to these decimated villages made abundantly clear to me why our work on the Darfur crisis remains so important. It's critical that we intensify the pressure to end these abuses. As I met with countless displaced Chadians, I was reminded that a UN Security Council resolution from August 2006, calling for a UN security force in eastern Chad, had not yet materialized, and that the people of Chad continue to wait - and wait - for help to arrive.

We weren't able to make it to every village and gather every name of the many, many hundreds who have been killed in Chad in recent months. But we have returned with powerful evidence to press the international community to act. Concerned people like you and me must work to ensure that the untold suffering of the people from Djorlo and countless other villages throughout eastern Chad is not ignored.

We will continue to document the abuses and press governments and the UN to act to stop the violence.

The scale of this crisis is immense, but together we can end this appalling human tragedy.

Sincerely,

Alex Neve
Director
Amnesty International Canada