Learn about the Sudan Crisis
China, Sudan, and the Olympics from SaveDarfur.org
In less than a year, China will host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. As China prepares to host the Olympics, one of the world’s most powerful symbols of peace and brotherhood, it is failing to help end genocide in Darfur, one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
As many as 400,000 people have already been killed in Darfur, and 2.5 million people have been driven from their homes.
All countries have a responsibility to stand up for the people of Darfur. China’s economic, political, and military ties to the Sudanese government, however, give it considerable influence over Sudan’s decisions. Sudan’s relationship with China has allowed part of the country to prosper even as the Sudanese government commits horrific atrocities on its people.
We must pressure China to do more to help end the genocide. Read more at SaveDarfur.org
General Information on the Conflict from DreamforDarfur.org
Violence and destruction are raging in the Darfur region of western Sudan. Since February 2003, government-sponsored militias known as the Janjaweed have conducted a calculated campaign of slaughter, rape, starvation and displacement in Darfur. Experts estimate that roughly 200,000 people have died due to violence, starvation and disease. More than 2.5 million people have been displaced from their homes and over 200,000 have fled across the border to Chad. Many now live in refugee camps lacking adequate food, water, shelter, sanitation, and health care. For the first time in history, the United States Congress and President recognized a situation as “genocide” while the atrocities were still ongoing. Characterized by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan as "Hell on Earth,” Darfur is widely considered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today.
