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The speech given this morning by Tumadir Sheikhed: To Colin Powel
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6/16/2004
Below is the text of the speech given this morning by the Sudanese activist Ms. Tamador Sheikheddin during her group’s performing at the National Geographic Ctr. in DC in celebration of the UN Day of Refugees. The event attended by Mr. Colin Powel, US Secretary of State and was a full-house event where the strong words of the message were strongly received and applauded by the audience. By Mohamed Elgadi
The Sudanese performing group “Brides of the Nile” presents a diverse range of dances from different ethnic and geographic regions of Sudan. They are scheduled for another three shows in DC within this weekend. They were among selected artist groups that got invited by the UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Julie for a reception at the Hay Adams Hotel in DC tonight (I spoke with one of the five members of the group, and she was so excited because their message reached to Mr. Powell)
This massage forwarded by Mohamed Elgadi
I was there and I will talk about the event later, and here is the text of Tumadir's speech Haggam
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Dear Mr. Colin Powell,
On behalf of the ‘Brides of the Nile’ performing art group and other human rights advocates in the US and Africa, I highly value the personal role you have played attempting to bring peace to Sudan. The price of war in my country of birth has been appalling: more than two million of us have been killed in the past two decades. Five million of us have been internally displaced. In the past 15 months, we have witnessed a new escalation of conflict in the Darfur region, with killing so organized and ethnic-focused that it must be called genocide.
The UN Security Council expressed its deep concern at the continuing reports of large-scale violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Darfur, including indiscriminate attacks on civilians, sexual violence, forced displacement and acts of violence, especially those with an ethnic dimension, and demanded that those responsible be held accountable.
Former UN General Secretary Dag Hammarskjold, who paid his life to bring peace in Africa, said “The Longest Journey is the Journey Inward.” The peace process in Sudan must have a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) mechanism that holds accountable those behind the mass killing, mass rape and mass torture in the Ghost Houses and elsewhere.
Mr. Secretary of State, what steps can you take to put more pressure on the Khartoum regime to stop this human tragedy in Darfur region?
Tamadir Sheikheddin Jibreel
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