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Hundreds rally in Dayton for Darfur
Photos from the event
Saturday, April 19, 2008
DAYTON — There are two things that happen to those living in Darfur villages that are attacked by the Sudanese militia known as the Janjaweed, according to Ibrahim Musa Adam.
"If you are a man, they will shoot you. If you are a woman, you will be raped," Adam said as he addressed hundreds who attended a Dayton Rally for Darfur on Saturday, April 19, at the Dayton Convention Center.
Extras
Adam, 33, a Darfur native and Rockford, Ill. resident, was one of many speakers who came to Dayton to raise awareness about the ethnic conflict taking place in Darfur, which is in Sudan — the largest country of Africa in area.
Those attending the rally learned that Darfur has 6 million inhabitants who are among the poorest in Africa. They also learned that 4 million people have been affected by the attacks and about 2 million people have been displaced.
When asked why people are getting killed and attacked, Adam said it had to do with the greed of the Arabic Sudan Government whose armed forces support the Janjaweed. The government wants the land where the Darfur people live.
The current crisis began in 2003 after "two rebel groups mounted a challenge to Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, according to Save Darfur Coalition literature that was passed out at the rally. Al-Bashir responded to the rebel movement by increasing arms and support to militias such as the Janjaweed, who began wiping out villages in Darfur.
Villages of up to 20,000 people have been burned down and at least 400,000 people have died, according to Voices from Darfur video that was shown at the rally. The United Nations estimates that violence in Darfur has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced at least 2 million.
"If our country isn't doing anything to stop (the killings) then we are not yelling loud enough," said Steve Wonderly of Dayton for Darfur before the crowd marched to the Dayton Convention Center from Courthouse Square.
Adam, who grew up in the village of Jadara and has been in the United States for five years, was among the marchers. As he marched he talked about how 20 people in his family were killed when the Janjaweed burned down Jadara in 2003. The attack left his family scattered in six different refugee camps. He has 15 siblings and one of his sisters, who managed to escape to Chad, has not seen her children or her husband for three years.
Other rally speakers included Nick Clooney, journalist and father of actor George Clooney. He briefly addressed the rally with a 2006 public speech he made when he and his son visited Darfur. In the speech he talked about the horrible conditions of the victims. "No more death by bigotry," he said. Clooney went on to encourage the audience to keep calling the media and their legislators to fight for the people of Darfur. Clooney said he hopes the attention will cause every person in the country to "have a shrapnel of Darfur lodged in their hearts."
Adam and others hope the United States will pressure China, host of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, to help stop the conflict. He said China harvests 80 percent of the oil that is in Sudan. Oil, that Adam said, comes at a price that is paid with the blood of the Darfur people.
"To push China, push Bush because Bush is behind China," Adam said. "To push China we have to push our government."
