Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy

Since the Abuja peace agreement was reached May 5, Damanga correspondents have been conducting interviews with a wide cross-section of the Sudanese population to try to gauge reactions.

The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy is concerned that chaos continues in Darfur, despite the May 5th peace accord. Damanga correspondents on the ground report that killings and rapes have not ceased.

The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy expresses its approval of the peace reached between the SLA and the government of Sudan last week, and congratulates all Darfurians in particular and Sudan in general. We also gratefully thank those who lent their support to the deal, including the U.S. envoy Mr. Robert Zoellick, the British envoy and AU mediators.

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy is paying close attention to the Abuja peace talks, which are ongoing at this time. It appears that a peace agreement may be imminent as Minni Minnawi of the SLM has consented in principle to sign an agreement with the Sudanese Government. We hope and pray for a lasting peace.

Sudan is currently attempting to prevent humanitarian observers and aid organizations from visiting or operating in Darfur in order to cover up its campaign of genocide in that region.

On Wednesday, March 22, 2006, members of the Arab Janjaweed raped four Darfurian women after beating them unconscious, a Damanga correspondent reported. Subsequently, two relatives of the victims have confirmed the horrific details.

Recent Janjaweed attacks against civilians in Darfur demonstrate the continued ineffectiveness of African Union forces and urgent need for Western intervention. Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy has received troubling details of several separate attacks.

On Wednesday, March 15, 2006, Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy received a disturbing phone call from a correspondent in southern Darfur. The source reported that Janjaweed and Sudanese government forces destroyed at least three villages in the Jokhana Administrative District in the province of Bram in the south of Darfur earlier in the week.

The African Union’s peacekeeping mandate in Darfur has been extended for six months, undermining world-wide efforts to initiate a stronger, more effective intervention to stop the genocide in Darfur. The AU mission is too small and under-funded and has thus failed in its mission to protect civilians in Darfur.

In service of its resistance against international intervention, the Sudanese government in Khartoum is working to mobilize students to create new Islamic radical fundamentalist and terrorist organizations. It has also reasserted ties to Al Qaeda and threatened terrorist attacks. Such threats come amid continued rapes and killings of civilians in Darfur. As the Sudanese government continues to resist international intervention, its forces continue to commit atrocities.

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy has received disturbing news that five women were attacked and raped outside their refugee camp on March 2. The attackers also beat their victims about the head, causing serious injuries.

In Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern Darfur the government and Janjaweed have carried out vicious attacks, killing, raping, and displacing civilians. Since February 23rd, they have destroyed villages and small towns from Graida to Goz-Bagar, Andarab, Iyal Ameen, Umheoosh, Jabir, Kilaikil, Habeeb-Darma, the Umkaddada area and the areas around Kebkabia, and Darbat. They are also invading the villages between the city of Algeneina in the South and the Jabelmoon area in the North, as well as around Tinya in the Northwest. Additionally, the attackers are targeting refugee camps, where further killings and rapes have taken place.

Recent reports of fissures among Sudanese rebel organizations in Darfur are cause for great worry. Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy maintains that the first priority of all involved must be to achieve a comprehensive peace agreement as quickly as possible to protect lives in Darfur. Rather than focusing on individual or tribal agendas, the SLA and other factions of the rebel leadership should subordinate all other disagreements and concerns while they work for Darfur and the security of its people.

News reports indicate that the government of Sudan has expelled foreign correspondents from within its borders. Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy believes that this action is part of an organized campaign by the Sudanese government to intimidate the international community from intervening to stop the genocide in Darfur. The proposed UN peacekeeping mission to Darfur is essential. The reluctance and slowness of powerful world actors to defend the people of Darfur will only further encourage Sudanese propaganda and attempts to block foreign intervention.

On Monday, February 20, 2006, President al-Bashir rearticulated his government’s refusal to extradite any Sudanese citizen to face charges for atrocities in Darfur before the International Criminal Court (ICC). The president insisted that only Sudanese courts could have jurisdiction over those suspected of involvement in the attacks on civilians.

The Sudanese government is feeling the heat from the international community's increasing talk of a U.N. or NATO role in Darfur. Instead of looking for a diplomatic solution, Khartoum's ever more paranoid Arab cabal continues to make outrageous statements to the media.

On February 11, 2006 Khalid Mashal, political head of Hamas, visited Sudan. The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy wishes to express its concern over the welcoming reception that Hamas received from the ruling National Islamic Front (NIF).

On February 17th, President Bush announced a proposal for greater international intervention in Darfur. He called for reinforcing the 7,000 African Union troops with an equal number of troops from the U.N. The Bush administration has concluded that peace talks alone will not be enough to solve this ongoing conflict between the Sudanese government and the rebel groups. President Bush is hoping to make up for the U.S.'s less-than-effective previous position concerning Darfur. Despite proclaiming the war as genocide over a year ago, the subsequent American efforts have produced minimal results in aiding the refugees.

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy has received information from jailed Darfurian refugees in Malta who are seeking help. These refugees are in danger of forced repatriation to the Sudan unless they receive international assistance.

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy has learned of an attack last week in the town of Conga-Haraza Town in Western Darfur. Few details are presently known since the Sudanese government has disrupted communications with the region by shutting down the telephone lines and wireless networks.

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy has learned that the Egyptian government has underreported the number of Sudanese refugees killed by Egyptian authorities, and that Egypt continues to perpetrate human rights abuses against Sudanese civilians. Damanga calls upon the United Nations office in Cairo, as well as the greater international community, to intervene on behalf of the embattled refugees.

On Thursday, February 9, 2006, around 12:30 a.m., members of the Janjaweed militia and the official Sudanese security force attacked and killed Abderhaman Gamonje in his home in Al-Geneina, the capital of Western Darfur. They also stole his livestock, including sheep, goats, and cattle. Damanga has communicated with three different sources in West Darfur who have direct knowledge of the murder.

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy commends the impressive, benevolent initiative of Mr. Joey Cheek, Olympic gold medalist in the 500 meter speed-skating, in his decision to donate his $25,000 award to aid the tens of thousands of children displaced by the genocide in Darfur. The money will reach those in Darfur through Right to Play, an organization which uses sports and play as a means of development for the worlds neediest children.

In this critical time when one of the worst human tragedies is being perpetrated by the Sudanese government against the Darfurians, it is important that the United States not fail to act. The people of Darfur cannot wait any longer for the looting, rapes, displacement of lives, and killings to be stopped. Even those who do survive to get to refugee camps, face the horrors of disease. Hundreds of people are dying every day and urgently need help in the next couple months. This is the time to act and lead in an intervention, not to deliberate while people continue to suffer unaided. The U.S. has always shown significant initiative to free the people of the world and it must show that initiative again.

Three representatives of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) stand accused of severely beating two fellow Darfurian negotiators at the Abuja, Nigeria peace talks.
On Saturday January 28, Mohamed Mansour Kitir, Mohamed Bushara Yahia and Sali Basheer Tiyya brutally attacked Ibrahim Sideeq and Amani Basheer apparently because the victims had decided to depart the JEM and join the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA), an allied party in the talks with the Sudanese government. The victims were taken to the hospital, and the attackers were expelled from the country.

The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy wishes to express its shock and frustration with the statements made by Jendayi Frazer, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, in which she referred to the situation in Darfur as “serious” but not genocide in a press conference today.

On February 3, 2006 the United Nations Security Council ordered U.N. Secretariat to began planning to transfer the African Union peacekeeping operation to U.N. control. The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy congratulates the United Nations and especially U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, who has established Darfur as a priority at the start of his presidency of the Security Council, for beginning this much needed process. Damanga urges the United Nations to expedite the handover of control and to encourage member states from Europe, Asia and the Americas to contribute additional troops to the peacekeeping operation.

The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy watches in dismay as the African Union holds its two day summit in Khartoum on January 23-24. We are distraught by African leaders' apparent acceptance of Omar El-Bashir's bid to head the African Union during the summit.

The government of Sudan and its Janjaweed militia allies are massing a greater number of troops in the El Geneina vicinity along the border with Chad. Despite having witnessed more than two years of internal conflict with massive civilian abuse, six different individuals communicated with Damanga during the past week and reported further violence against civilians.

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy has been closely following the human tragedy unfolding and recently deteriorating into terrible violence in Cairo, Egypt. Early Friday morning, 12/30/05, what amounted to a police riot was perpetrated against peaceful Sudanese refugee protestors. This occurring in the wee hours of the morning, away from the eyes of the press. Damanga has been in close contact with committee members until minutes before the police attack. The following is their report.

The situation for Sudanese refugees camped in front of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Cairo is worsening despite a supposed agreement last week. Three thousand Sudanese women, men, and children remain huddled under tarps fighting the cold and the diseases that sweep through the encampment which has no sanitary facilities. Since September of 2005 the Sudanese protestors have demanded that UNHCR resettle refugees outside of Egypt, a country which many find discriminatory and bereft of employment opportunity. The Sudanese started the protest because UNHCR stopped automatically interviewing all arriving Sudanese to determine if they were eligible for resettlement.

As the peace talks in Abuja get underway, the Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy investigated the effects of the talks on people in Darfur. On November 29, Damanga received a phone call from a correspondent who was traveling to Darfur from the east of Sudan. This correspondent interviewed four Darfurians who each gave his/her opinion on the peace talks and the situation on the ground. While the Darfurians had heard about the peace talks through government controlled media, they were increasingly pessimistic because the situation seemed intractable on the ground.

For the past month, negotiations in Darfur between the insurgent groups and the Sudanese government have stalled due to the troubling split in the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA), the largest political party in the region.

After looting other native Darfurians, two factions of the government aligned Janjaweed militia fought a bloody internal battle on Sunday, November 13, sparked by a dispute about division of the loot. Three sources reported to Damanga that it was one of the biggest internal battles in recent memory.

Government aligned Janjaweed militia attacked and ganged raped five women on Wednesday, November 10, 2005, according to three different sources who communicated with the Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy during the past week.

The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy condemns the November 9th terrorist bombings in Amman, Jordon. The murder of innocent civilians in the name of Islam is disgraceful, and the slaughter at a wedding, a reaffirmation of life, is an attack against humanity.

Two weeks ago refugees in Ghana fled from the Sanzule Krisan Refugee Camp to the border of Côte d’Ivoire, trying to escape very poor living conditions in the Ghanaian camp.¹The majority of these refugees are from Togo, Senegal, Liberia, and Sierra Leone while some are also from Sudan and other countries. The refugees were ordered by Ghanaian authorities to return to the camp but they refused. In reaction, Ghanaian authorities forcibly removed at least one thousand refugees from the border and returned them to the Sanzule Krisan Camp.

The people of Darfur have just finished celebrating Eid Al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Traditionally Eid is a time of peace in the Muslim world where friends and family come together to renew community ties and to thank God for his blessings. In 1999 the Government of Sudan and its allies, the Janjaweed, took advantage of the festivities of Eid to savagely launch their first major attack against many Darfurian villages.

On November 5 in Washington D.C. the Vice-President, who was in Washington for meetings with high-level U.S. officials, cordially invited members of the Darfur Diaspora in the United States, including several representatives of human rights organizations and political parties, to for an exchange of views on the troubled situation in Darfur.

Deteriorating conditions, political pressure, and three recent deaths have prompted an exodus from a refugee camp in Ghana that began last week on October 31. Hundreds of refugees who had fled the conflict in Darfur are now either preparing to leave or have left Ghana. They are making their way toward the border with Côte d'Ivoire, 45 km away, where Ghanaian authorities are attempting to block their departure. Most refugees are traveling on foot, though some have cars.

The Philanthropic Collaborative, a New York City based organization with offices in the Rockefeller Philanthropic Advisers Organization, has awarded the Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy a $50,000 grant.

Sudanese refugees in Libya have sent urgent pleas to the Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy. Because of the common border with Sudan, thousands of refugees, especially those fleeing persecution in Darfur, have fled to Libya. Instead of being welcomed as political refugees, the Darfurians now face arbitrary arrest, beatings, and economic exploitation at the hands of the Libyan government and some citizens.

Hundreds of Sudanese refugees began a peaceful demonstration in front of the United Nations office in Cairo, Egypt, on 29 September 2005. The refugees delivered a petition detailing numerous problems they have faced while waiting to be processed by the UN. The refugees have declared they will not end their demonstration until they receive a response to the grievances outlined in their petition.

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy (Damanga) mourns the loss of beloved former RMCE treasurer, Mr. Hassan Yahya Morgan, who died in a car accident in Iowa earlier this week.

Hassan was from the Mastery Area of South Algeneina, Darfur, and was instrumental in the founding of the Representatives of the Massaleit Community in Exile (RMCE). He moved to Des Moines, Iowa as a refugee in 2004, where he continued his work to alert the world of the abuses unfolding in Western Sudan through his support of Damanga.

Damanga is deeply saddened by the loss of one of its great supporters. "Hassan Morgan was an unusual man, very active, honest and generous" said Mohamed Yahya, Chairman of Damanga upon learning of the accident, "he worked hard in his life to raise awareness and highlight the genocide in Darfur since 1993."

Mr. Hassan Yahya Morgan will be missed, but his drive and spirit remain an inspiration to all of us. He is survived by his wife, Mona, and his son, Khalid.

On Saturday August 13, a Sudanese criminal court convicted three low level members of the Sudanese army of “waging war” in Darfur. This trial was part of a special tribunal set up by the Sudanese government to try around 160 people for war crimes committed in Darfur. President Omar al-Bashir intends these trials to replace the trails to be conducted by the International Criminal Court at The Hague, since he has vowed that he will never hand over any Sudanese to an international court. Read More....

The Sudanese government continues to sabotage the efforts of aid workers in Darfur . On Thursday August 11, 2005 at 12:00 noon, a convoy of trucks was attacked while transporting aid from Algeneina to Conga Haraza City, an area southwest of Algenenina, in Western Darfur. Damanga sources have identified the attackers as Janjaweed Militia. Read more....

The Government of Sudan is attempting to forcibly return displaced persons in West Darfur and is corrupting the aid process, according to several displaced persons and other individuals interviewed by Damanga in the past month. These Sudanese government policies violate human rights principles, as described to Damanga and contributed to the altercation that occurred in Kerdang camp about 4 kilometers east of El Geneina on July 8, 2005.

One local chief was arrested for refusing to tell his people to return. Some Darfurians are reportedly being bribed to return and convince their fellow villagers to return. Displaced persons told Damanga that Sudanese security agents have been placed among the staff of aid organizations. Such Sudan government actions have provoked clashes between displaced persons and aid workers. Read More...

The news of the untimely death of Dr. John Garang is a tragedy to the people of Sudan. It has shocked and saddened us deeply. Sorrow and tears fill our hearts as we remember Garang and the hope he gave to so many Sudanese and Africans. Garang was one of Sudan’s greatest leaders who led our country to a real peace after one of the longest civil wars in history. As Vice President of Sudan, Garang was received by thousands of supporters, both Arab and African. His leadership gave hope to so many people in Sudan, especially to those who have been marginalized, because of their ethnicity and race. Read More....

On 25 August 2004, refugees and Egyptian police fought running battles for hours in the streets and lawns close to the UNHCR building in the Cairo neighbourhood of Mohandesin. The refugees intended to present a memorandum to UNHCR urging the agency to reconsider the suspension of refugee status determination for Sudanese in Egypt.¹ Instead, they were met by police who blocked off the entrance to the UNHCR building and used force to push them back. The intention of the police in using force to stop the peaceful demonstration developed into confrontations between the two sides during which many refugees and some policemen were injured. 22 refugees including Darfurians were detained. Read More....

The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy strongly condemns the series of attacks on the London public transport system. Read More....

Hundreds of refugees from Darfur are fleeing across Africa in search of protection. The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy spoke with more than five Darfur refugees who are now struggling to feed themselves in a camp in Ghana. Their stories provide yet more illustrations of the atrocities committed by Sudanese government forces and their allied militias, including those known as the Janjaweed. Unfortunately, their flight also reveals the failure of the United Nations, the African Union, the United States, and the international community, who have failed to stem the brutality of the Sudanese government and provide protection for displaced persons in Darfur and Chad. Read More.....

The Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi hosted a summit of like-minded African leaders on 17 May 2005 at which the decision was reached to reject deployment of non-African troops to Darfur. All countries that believe that genocide should never be allowed to happen again should ignore that immoral decision. Read More.....

Mohamed Yahya participated in a panel discussion at the University of Virginia School of Law on February 8, 2005. Roger Winter, former Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance USAID and Jemera Rone, counsel for Human Rights Watch Africa Division joined Yaya in this discussion of the situation in Darfur and the Sudan generally, the U.S. declaration of genocide in Darfur, the legal and moral imperatives for intervention, and the possibilities for protection of human rights and fundamental human dignity.