The Darfur Consortium

An African and International
Civil Society Action for Darfur

Members' Publications

9th African Union Summit, June 25 - July 6, Accra

(June 26, Accra) From left to right: Arnold Tsunga, Amir Osman, Nana Akufor Addo, Salih Muhamoud Osman, Dismas Nkunda and Abdelbagi Jibril

(June 25, Accra) Hugh Masekela and Dismas Nkunda

__________________________________________________________________A EVENT: A Solidarity Festival with Darfur People

On August 9, 2007, the Arab Program for Human Rights Activists (APHRA) will launch its solidarity festival for Darfur people entitled “Darfur before it’s too late” in the Town House Gallery, 10 El-Nabarawy street, off Shampelion street, Midtown Cairo. The event starts at 4pm.

The festival is one component of APHRA’s yearlong campaign that aims at putting an end to the suffering of the people of Darfur. The campaign consists of three workshops (two nationwide and one regional), three training courses on international human law, and a monthly newsletter entitled “Voices from Darfur”. The campaign also includes the collection of 100,000 signatures, the publication of posters and the design and launch of a campaign website.

The APHRA festival will bring together prominent journalists, artists and civil society activists from both Egypt and Sudan. The festival consists of a plastic arts exhibition by artists from Darfur, photographs and books reflecting the human crisis in the territory, a documentary film on Darfur and a number of artistic and music performances.

Masekela dedicates show to genocide victims in Darfur

(July 27, 2023)

http://www.twincities.com/entertainment/ci_6472128?nclick_check=1

At the Dakota jazz club in Minneapolis, South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela played once more to a sold-out venue. His song "Stimela (Coal Train)," a signature piece from the 1970s, calls attention to the plight of migrant mine workers in South Africa. The song has become an international anthem for oppressed workers everywhere. He also brought up the modern-day genocide in the war-torn nation of Darfur, dedicating the show to its victims.

Read the full article.

A CONCERT AND A HEART FOR DARFUR

(July 23, 2023)

Written by Kawu Modibbo

At the heart of the peace building press conference at the Paloma Hotel in Accra on June 26, was the expression of a commitment to the use of Art to express solidarity with the people in Darfur. The Media Foundation for West Africa is coordinating the major outing of a coalition of civil society organisations to help nudge the leaders of the African countries to become more proactive about the large scale human suffering in that part of the African continent.

Read the full article.

Masekela brings message for people of Darfur to jazz fest

(July 19, 2023)

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Entertainment/848225.html

During his performance at the TD Canada Trust Atlantic Jazz Festival in Halifax, Canada, Hugh Masekela dedicated the evening to the people of Darfur. He told the crowd that "on behalf of the people of Darfur I am begging you that every time you eat an ice cream you remember them and send a prayer to the people of Darfur."

Read the full article.

Musicians for african union government

(July 3, 2023)

Accra Daily Mail

Hugh Masekela, invited as a goodwill ambassador for Darfur, led the way at a solidarity concert that took place during the AU summit. The South African musician called for AU member states to focus on measures to stop recalcitrant African leaders from perpetrating genocide, namely in Darfur.

Read the full article.

Darfur: Test case for African Union

(June 28, 2023)

www.modernghana.com

Civil rights activists tell Ghana's Joy FM Super Morning Show that they hope to raise the shameful tragedy of the Darfur Region as a test case for African Unity and a serious blight on the will of collective Africa to protect its own. Amongst the guests was Dismas Nkunda, Chair of the Darfur Consortium and Co-Director of the International Refugee Rights Initiative, who believes that past mediation efforts at dealing with the situation in Darfur have failed, primarily because of the soft-handed treatment of the Sudanese government.

Read the full article.

high level panel and press conference on the "responsibility to protect" to be held in accra, ghana, on june 27.

(June 26, 2023) On the occasion of the 9th AU Head of States Summit to be held in Accra, the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) in collaboration with The Civil Society Coalition - Ghana African Union Summit, July 2007, with the support of Oxfam GB is organizing a High Level Panel Discussion and press conference on the "Responsibility to Protect."

Read more on the responsibility to protect and the panel here.

civil society organisations from darfur urge au member states to act in the interest of the people of darfur.

(June 25, 2023) Seventeen civil society organisations from Darfur addressed the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Governments at the 9th Ordinary Session in Accra, Ghana. Their statement urges all AU member states to support the AU/UN hybrid peacekeeping force and enter in comprehensive negotiations to ensure the safety of all in Darfur.

Read the full statement.

Darfurian Groups Call on Paris Conference to Ensure Inclusive Talks

(June 22, 2023) A group of Darfurian organizations wrote to French Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Koucher urging him to ensure that the upcoming meeting of the Enlarged Contact Group for Darfur in Paris focused on ensuring inclusive political negotiations.

Read the full letter.

5th Session of the Human Rights Council: follow up Decisions-Darfur

(June 13, 2023) The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies states that the Sudanese government has not committed to any substantial legal or policy reforms to prevent and improve the human rights situation in Darfur.

Read the full statement.

Darfur Consortium Members Features in Ghanaian Press

Darfurians Storm Accra Before AU Summit

Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra)
NEWS
25 May 2023
Posted to the web 25 May 2023

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Accra

LONG BEFORE African leaders set foot on Ghanaian soil to attend the much-awaited African Union (AU) summit slated for July this year, some natives and civil society groups in the Darfur Region of Sudan have arrived in Accra to demand an end to ongoing clashes in that Region.

Read the full article.

41st Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights: Human Rights in Africa

The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies addressed the Commission by stating that the Commission and the AU had much work to do on human rights issues in Darfur, and that the unconditional support of North African states had been in the interest of the Sudanese government and not its people.

Read the statement.

The Cairo Declaration for Peace in Darfur       

Within the framework of cooperation and solidarity between Arab and African organizations working in the field of human rights, a group of African and Arab organizations organized a Workshop on “Peace in Darfur” and to guarantee the protection of civilians as well as means to help refugees and displaced persons to securely and honorably return to their villages.  The Workshop aimed also to guarantee the respect of human rights in the entire Darfur province, and to render the people implicated in the war crimes and crimes against humanity that were committed in the past and are still being committed in this afflicted province.

The Arab Organization for Human Rights, the Arab Program for Human Rights Activists and the Save Darfur Consortium, jointly organized this Workshop, which was attended by 31 Arab organizations, the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as well a group of experts and a number of international observers.

RADDHO: DeCLARATION SUR LA CRISE AU DARFOUR

(Dakar, April 29, 2023) Nous voici aujourd’hui réunis pour évoquer, pour la déplorer et la condamner, la situation de crise qui sévit au Darfour. Chers amis, le Darfour est une région, aussi grande que la France, située dans la partie Ouest du Soudan. Il est peuplé à majorité de tribus africaines : Four, Zaghawa et Massalit. Les populations du Darfour, délaissées par un régime dont l’insouciance frise le ridicule, se rebellent en 2003 pour jouir seulement de la reconnaissance en tant qu’entité à part entière de la nation soudanaise. La réponse du gouvernement soudanais ne s’est pas fait attendre. Des bombardements aériens s’abattent sur les populations du Darfour.

Read the full statement.

CIHRS Urges State and Intergovernmental Representatives to Agree to Take Concrete Measures to Strengthen Civilian Protection Efforts and Revitalize the Peace Process in Darfur

(Cairo, April 27, 2023) On the occasion of a summit being held on 28 April, 2007 in Libya, between representatives of Libya, the United States, Britain, Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, the African Union and European Union, with the aim of ending the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region, CIHRS calls on the representatives of these states and interstate organizations, to agree to a series of concrete measures that will provide immediate protection for civilians in Darfur and eastern Chad, and will revitalize the now defunct peace process between Darfur rebel groups and the government of Sudan.

Read the full statement.

RADDHO: Mettre un terme A la violence armEe et entamer sans dElai le dialogue pour la paix

(Dakar, April 3, 2023) La Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme (RADDHO) exprime sa vive préoccupation et sa profonde indignation devant la dégradation continue de la situation au Darfour. Aujourd'hui, ce sont les forces de la Mission de l'Union Africaine au Soudan qui sont la cible des belligérants avec comme objectif de les décourager, de les démoraliser pour qu'ils quittent le Soudan.

Read the full press statement.

Human Rights Council, 4th Session, Joint Oral Intervention
22 March 2023

Delivered by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

Thank you Mr. President,

The Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences; has reported eloquently on the horrific impact of violence against women in conflict.  But as her report was given, and as this debate continues, thousands of women in Darfur face continual threats of sexual violence. This Council must not delay in addressing the suffering of the people in Darfur. 

Read the full statement.

Darfur Consortium Urges Human Rights Council to Heed Mission Report

In a letter issued to members of the Human Rights Council, the Darfur Consortium called on the Council to take note of the mission report and adopt its core recommendations.

Read the full letter.

Statement on Behalf of Nourth South XXI on Darfur at the Human Right Council

Delivered by Abdelbagi Jibril

North South XXI welcomes the report of the High Level Mission on Darfur. We are pleased to note the HLM has placed protection of civilians in Darfur at the heart of its work. The report is yet another indicting document on the criminal practice of the government of Sudan and its allied militia groups better known as the Janjaweed that are fighting a proxy war on its behalf, alas against innocent civilians including women and children. It is regrettable that the government of Sudan (GoS) adamantly refused to cooperate with the HLM and used all pretexts to hamper its work. This is another futile attempt from the GoS to conceal the truth about what is actually taking place in Darfur. The shape of this Council is becoming ugly as some of its members made the point that they are concerned about questionable procedural matters rather than the lives of millions of helpless civilians in miserable IDP camps in Darfur or across international borders. Such attitude is reprehensible. The GoS should not be allowed to thumb up its nose at the world community in this insulting manner and be escorted free unpunished.

Read the full statement.

Read the full statement by Interfaith International.

Statement on the Presentation of Evidence by the Office of the Prosecutor to the International Criminal Court

(February 28, 2023) We, the undersigned international, African, and Sudanese NGOs, journalists, and lawyers, welcome yesterday’s presentation of evidence by the International Criminal Court’s Prosecutor to the Court’s judges as an important step forward in combating impunity and building the rule of law in Sudan.

Read the full statement.

HUMAN RIGHTS FIRST: HRF URGES PROSECUTOR TO PURSUE EVIDENCE UP THE CHAIN OF COMMAND

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has named the first suspects in his investigation of mass atrocities in Darfur.

Read the full press release.

NGOs Hail Election of Ghana to the Presidency of the African Union

(ADDIS ABABA, 29 January 2023): The Darfur Consortium today welcomed the accession of the Republic of Ghana to the Presidency of the African Union (AU).

Read the full press release.

Decision on AU Presidency: African NGOs Petition African Governments to Protect Darfur

(ADDIS ABBABA, 26 January 2023): At a press conference in Addis Ababa today a coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from across the continent presented a signed petition urging African leaders to consider the dire situation of millions of war affected civilians in Darfur.

Read the full press statement.

World Social Forum NGOS Call For Action on Darfur

The following petition gathered more than 500 signatories at the World Social Forum this week in Nairobi:

We, activists, civil society organizations, and other progressives gathered in Nairobi for the 7th World Social Forum, express our deep concern about the ongoing crisis in Darfur. Since the beginning of full blown hostilities in early 2003, the crisis has wreaked unimaginable damage. More than 400,000 civilians have died, more than 3.6 million are “war affected,” dependent on international assistance, more than 3 million have been displaced (the vast majority have remained in Sudan, while others have fled to neighbouring Chad and further abroad.

Read the full petition.

Decision on AU Presidency
Credibility of the African Union at Stake

(NAIROBI, 22 January 2023) As preparations for the African Union (AU) summit get underway in Addis Ababa this week, a coalition of African non-governmental organisations (NGOs), has issued an urgent appeal to African Heads of State to consider the dire situation of millions of war affected civilians in Darfur before making a decision on the Presidency of the AU.

Read the full press release.

CIHRS Calls on Arab Governments to Bring an End to the Humanitarian Crisis in Darfur

(CAIRO, January 23, 2023) On the occasion of a summit between the presidents and leaders of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Sudan and Algeria being held in Libya today, in preparation for the African Union Summit that will be held at the end of this month, The Cairo Institute of Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) calls on Arab governments to play a more active role in resolving the humanitarian crisis in Darfur to ensure protection of civilians and bring an end to violence in the region.

Read the full press statement.

African Campaigners call on China to help Darfur

(KAMPALA, 3rd November 2006)  African campaigners have today urged China to do more to help the people of Darfur in Sudan. The call comes as African leaders prepare to participate in the opening of the China Africa Forum in Beijing.

Read the full press release.

UN Could Have Prevented Darfur Catastrophe -- New Minority Rights Group Report

The catastrophe in Darfur could have been averted if the UN and the wider international community had heeded early warning signals and acted upon them, Minority Rights Group International (MRG) says in a report.

Read the full press release.

Darfur Consortium urges that due process be accorded detained Darfur negotiator

(NEW YORK, September 29, 2023) - In a statement issued in Kampala today, the Darfur Consortium expressed concern for the safety and personal security of Abulgasim Ahmed Abulgasim, a Darfurian expatriate who has been residing in Saudi Arabia for about 20 years. He was deported from Saudi Arabia late on Thursday night and is now reportedly in the custody of the Sudanese authorities.

Read the full press release.

AU Takes a Small Step Forward on Darfur,
Negotiations on UN Assistance must Continue

(NEW YORK, September 25, 2023) -  In a statement issued in New York today, the Darfur Consortium welcomed the decisions of the African Union (AU) to extend the mandate of the African Union mission in Sudan (AMIS) to the end of the year and of the UN Security Council to extend the mandate of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), now deployed in the south of the country, by two weeks.

Read the full press release.

African Union Must Not Abandon Darfur

(NEW YORK, September 19, 2023)—In a statement issued in New York today, the Darfur Consortium called on the African Union’s Peace and Security Council (AU PSC) to take four critical steps when it meets at summit level tomorrow:

• Extend the mandate of the African Union Mission in Sudan until the year’s end and reaffirm its support for the extension of the UN mission in Sudan to Darfur;
• Unequivocally reject the Government of Sudan’s security plan to “stabilize” the situation in Darfur as a clear violation of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and a sure recipe for disaster;
• Urgently re-establish the political process to restore energy to the peace process and tackle the gaps in the DPA;  
• Call for demilitarization by the warring parties and observance of the cease-fire.

Read the full press release.

Human rights organizations condemn the on-going deterioration of humanitarian situation in Darfur and call upon the Sudanese Government to accept the deployment of the UN forces  

Statement from 31 Organizations in 10 Arab Countries

The undersigned Human Rights organizations called upon the Sudanese Government to accept the deployment of UN forces in Darfur to monitor the implementation of the Abuja Peace Agreement and protect civilians.  The said organizations reiterated that the on-going deterioration of human rights and humanitarian status in Darfur is attributed to the fact that the parties to the conflict, topped by the government, have disregarded a series of agreements that have been concluded since 2004 to reach a cease fire, protect civilians, disarm the government-backed militias "Janjaweed" and safeguard humanitarian protection and relief, until the Abuja Peace Agreement was signed on May 5, 2006.  The said organizations called upon the international community and the Arab League to intensively pressurize the Government of Sudan to accept the UN Forces.

Read the full statement.

Thousands expected to participate in events across Africa marking the Global Day for Darfur

(KAMPALA, September 15, 2023) Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to participate in a host of events throughout Africa and across the globe this Sunday, September 17 in support of the beleaguered people of Darfur.

Read the full press release.

Human Rights First: International Efforts Failing to Protect Civilians in Darfur

(August 31, 2006, New York, NY) – Human Rights First today expressed dismay that international efforts on Darfur, in particular the draft Security Council resolution sponsored by the United States and Britain, fall far short of what is needed.

Read the full press release.

FIDH and SOAT: How Many Years Will Darfurian Have to Wait to be Effectively Protected?

Open letter to the United Nations Security Council

UN deployment is the only solution to curb the violence in Darfur.

Your Excellencies,

On the eve of the meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Darfur, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organisation, the Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT) call upon you to reject the Government of Sudan’s proposal to deploy its own troops to Darfur and to adopt a resolution for the immediate deployment of an international peacekeeping mission under Chapter VII of the UN Charter with a strong mandate for the protection of civilians.

Read the full letter.