Sudan Sham Elections: 50 States, 50 Days of Action
Grassroots groups and Darfuris across the nation have joined together to say: No support for sham elections in Sudan! Beginning February 20th, for the 50 days leading up to the April 2010 election, regular citizens in every state will take targeted and effective action to say that they do not support elections that will legitimize an indicted war criminal.
The elections will not be fair and free. They will be a sham. Omar al-Bashir took control of Sudan 20 years ago by military coup and has brutally ruled the country since. Al-Bashir is a wanted war criminal by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur. The U.S. has declared his government’s supported atrocities in Darfur genocide.
In the 1950s, 60s, and 80s, Darfuris participated in free and fair elections during times of peace. Now, there are 3 million Darfuris confined to miserable camps inside Darfur and Chad. The large cities, towns, and the countryside are under siege. There is no freedom of movement, let alone freedom of expression or freedom to organize. Darfur is a war torn region where many previously vibrant and bustling villages now lay in ashes.
Under the current climate of violence and political intimidation, the Sudanese elections (scheduled for April 11, 2010) will be anything but free and fair. With insecurity continuing in Darfur and violence mounting in the South, fraudulent elections in April could be a dangerous flashpoint for Sudan. Darfuris living in IDP and refugee camps and the Diaspora are boycotting upcoming elections. These elections will do nothing but legitimize the engineers of the first genocide in the 21st century.
Join the Sudan Sham Elections 2010 Campaign. Each state will organize one day of action. Actions will be easy and available for everyone in the state to take, yet targeted and effective. Our grassroots actions will support high-level advocacy campaigns by the national groups: Enough, Save Darfur, and Genocide Intervention Network. Actions will urge our government not to legitimize a war criminal’s reign through elections built around violence, intimidation, and coercion.
Join this national, grassroots campaign! Visit the website, Sudan Sham Elections 2010, to:
2. Find your state on the map and contact the leader to get involved locally.
3. If your state doesn't yet have a leader, sign up! We need all 50 states represented for success.
4. Tell 3 friends about the upcoming campaign.
Those organizing are regular citizens around the 50 states and D.C., standing with the people of Sudan — the marginalized, the disenfranchised, and the brutally oppressed — in demanding truth and strength. An indicted war criminal, responsible for millions of deaths, will never be a legitimate leader. Peace, protection, and justice will come from strength in effort and conviction from our leaders.
This piece was co-authored by Mohamed Suleiman, a U.S.-based Darfuri working with the San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition, who has a broad network of Darfuri contacts from the Diaspora and from IDP camps in Sudan and refugee camps in Chad. The campaign is also looking for leaders to help reach out to several states. For more information, contact Katie-Jay Scott, ktj@stopgenocidenow.org to get involved!
Photo credit: hdptcar
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