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Inclusive Security: Women Waging Peace Action Alert
Crisis in Darfur, Sudan
June 23, 2024
Since erupting in February 2003, the conflict in Darfur, Sudan,
has claimed more than 30,000 lives. History risks repeating itself:
This man-made humanitarian catastrophe could become as deadly as
the 1994 Rwandan genocide. In fact, the US Committee on Conscience,
based at the Holocaust Museum, has posted genocide alert for Darfur.
Starvation and disease compound the crisis and could claim more
than 300,000 lives in the next nine months. Without a rapid international
response, the situation will worsen.
Though many organizations report on “looting and raping” in
Darfur, not enough attention is directed at the systematic sexual
abuse of Sudanese women. Rape is a strategy used to humiliate and
eradicate a people—not something that spontaneously emerges
from the chaos of war. Advancing international law, prosecutors
in other conflict areas have demonstrated that systematic rape
is a component indicator of genocide. The International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) recognized sexual violence—against
women and men—as a war crime.
Judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)
ruled in the landmark Akayesu case that rape constituted not only
a crime against humanity but also genocide.
ACTION: In addition to addressing rape charges,
policymakers must ensure that their decisions reflect international
law and employ a more sophisticated understanding of how rape as
is used during conflict.
Last week, in honor of World Refugee Day, Secretary of State Colin
Powell highlighted the need to address the devastation in Darfur.
(For the full speech, please refer to http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/33620.htm.)
As a member of the international community and of the UN Security
Council, the United States must pressure the Khartoum government
to provide immediate access for humanitarian aid operations.
ACTION: The majority of internally displaced
people in Sudan are women; to fully alleviate the threat of famine
and widespread disease, it is necessary to design gender-sensitive
approaches to humanitarian aid distribution. Policymakers need
to include Sudanese women in the design and implementation of aid
programs in refugee camps.
In addition to providing aid, the international community should
implement more robust measures to resolve the conflict. Building
on the momentum of the May 2004 peace accord, the international
community should set into motion a negotiating process to resolve
underlying political problems, reverse the ethnic cleansing in
Darfur, and build sustainable peace.
ACTION: Policymakers must ensure that women
participate in the negotiation process. Lessons from other post-conflict
societies demonstrate that women act as major agents of reconstruction
and rebuilding in their countries, even if not formally recognized
for their contributions. It is imperative that women’s concerns
be represented during the negotiations, to ensure that their needs
are addressed in reconstruction efforts.
We urge you and/or your representative to contact the following
people to advocate for the immediate action by the US government
and ensure that women’s needs and interests are considered
in the Darfur crisis:
Charles Snyder
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of African Affairs
US Department of State
Tel: 202-647-4493
Fax: 202-647-6301
Ambassador Michael Ranneberger
Special Envoy to Sudan
US Department of State
Tel: 202-647-4512
Fax: 202-647-4553
Roger Winter
Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance
US Agency for International Development
Tel: 202-712-0100
Fax: 202-216-3397
Email: [email protected]
Leonard Rogers
Deputy Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance
US Agency for International Development
Tel: 202-712-0770
Fax: 202-216-3397
Email: [email protected]
John Marks
Coordinator, Sudan Task Force
US Agency for International Development
Tel: 202-712-4434
Email: [email protected]
Kevin Kennedy
Acting Resident Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan
United Nations
Tel: 212-963-1522
Fax: 212-963-3630
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