Local Perspectives on Global Responsibility

By Adeeb Yousif

February 12^th 2009

Human Rights Defender

jarayousif@gmail.com

Mobile (+1) 201-238-8632

NEW YORK

          I am born of Darfur soil.   I am Darfurian and I am a Sudanese human rights defender. I write this letter today in order to urge you to take action to end the six years of violence in Darfur.

The current situation in Darfur current and the coming days

1. There are approximately 3700 newly arrived internally displace persons (IDPs) at Zam Zam camp in North Darfur, as well as other areas in Darfur.   IDPs are seeking emergency support for food and non-food items (NFIs). United Nation Joint Logistic (UNJLC) and other NGOs are only able to provide 288 households, housing merely 900 people.
2. While aircraft are active in many locations, civilians are paying the price as their suffering goes by unnoticed, many running from one place to another desparately searching for security.   Meanwhile, the Qatar initiative is released. The Qatar initiative, to many Darfurian means:

آ·          Increased division among Darfurians, leading to a new war.

آ·          The Abuja mistake will be repeated once again and the window will be closed for real peace. All outcomes of this process are going to worsen the situation in Darfur.

آ·          This creates more room for lawlessness, as well as justice carried out by the ICC, as Arabs leak plans for the African Union.

آ·          Encourage the Sudanese government to kill more innocent people and deteriorate the security situation.

آ·          Eliminate opportunities for participation by civil society, including IDPs and refugees.

The way forward     

As we work tirelessly to achieve a just and sustainable peace in Darfur, I would like to point out that the problems in Darfur did not begin yesterday and neither will they end tomorrow. Nor will Darfur’s problems be solved through trial and error - we must get to the root of the problem for a solution. I have always contended that if we want to reach sustainable peace in Darfur, and elsewhere in Sudan, we must engage through a participatory process where people are empowered at the grassroots level and enabled to make decisions for themselves. This is why others and myself insist on consulting with all Darfurians, with different divisions and tribes –from the women and children to the IDPs and refugees, from rich and from poor.

The best way, in my view, is a political solution; serious peaceful negotiation - mediated by a prominent figure with the active support of the international community including the United States.

I urge you to take immediate action to prevent the continued deterioration of security in Darfur.   Speak to the media; talk to UNAMID; tell Qatar that this is not the right direction for peace in Darfur; tell your government to get involved; and tell everybody you know that s/he can do something - that we can prevent a second Abuja failure.

With best wishes for Justice and Peace

Adeeb Yousif