Mohamed Yahya Spoke on Darfur, Sudan at Lincoln Memorial

March 31, 2010

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On March 28, 2010, at Responsible for Equality And Liberty’s (R.E.A.L.) public awareness event on human rights at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, Damanga Executive Director Mohamed Yahya spoke on the pressing issues of Darfur and Sudan.  Mohamed Yahya passionately conveyed to the public the continuing suffering of the people in Darfur and Sudan.  He addressed the continuing genocide of the Darfuri people, and their suffering and poverty, including the attacks by the Janjaweed and the refusal of the Omar Al-Bashir government to respect the Darfuri people’s human rights.

While crowds around the Lincoln Memorial stopped to listen, Mohamed Yahya told them of the continuing need for Americans to get involved in helping the Darfuri people, and he urged them to call for the Obama administration to take action on Darfur.  He reminded the public of pledges made by members of the administration during the electoral campaign, and then the failure to take aggressive action to bring justice to the Darfuri people today.  He reminded the public of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) indictments against Sudan president Omar Al-Bashir.  Moreover, Mr. Yahya pointed out, as he did in his recent article “A Deal with a Devil,” that there can be no peace in Sudan without justice and human rights for Darfur.

As volunteers passed out fliers on Damanga and the Darfur genocide, Mohamed Yahya asked the public to consider the importance of “saving just one human life,” and how taking such personal responsibility would provide an indelible sense of accomplishment, purpose, and meaning in our lives as individuals.  “Then imagine,” Mohamed Yahya added, “how much more would it mean to help save a million or more lives?”  Over 400,000 have been killed  in Darfur, countless women have been raped and abused in Darfur, and there are an estimated 2.6 million  Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) at risk.  Despite an abundance of oil and other natural resources controlled by the Omar Al-Bashir government, the vast majority of Sudan’s people live in poverty, and many children die daily from malnutrition and poverty.