DWAG Newsletter

 

Dear Rapid Response Network Members,

Darfur Women’s Action Group would like to truly thank you for your continued support, engagement, and action regarding the situation in Darfur and Sudan.

As you may already know, the genocide in Darfur is entering its 20th year. For many, the new year brings hope and optimism; a chance for a clean slate and to start anew. In Darfur, a clean slate is an extravagance not afforded to the millions whose lives have been uprooted by genocide and war. Innocent people remain displaced, unable to reunite with their families and return home. As the Earth continues to turn, the eyes of the world have moved on to other tragedies, despite the war in Sudan being worse than ever. At DWAG, we aim to bring the voices of those most affected to the global stage by shedding light on their suffering. In this week’s newsletter, we will give you the most recent updates from Darfur and Sudan, summarize our work from the past few weeks, and share opportunities for you to get involved with DWAG and our mission. Thank you for your dedication and commitment!

Kind regards,

DWAG Team
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Highlights of the Month

DWAG president Niemat Ahmadi was featured on Vogue Magazine  online and will be in the print  version for the month of March to bring attention to the dire situation in Sudan read the full article here

DWAG president Niemat spoke in a panel about the catastrophic humanitarian  situation in Darfur at an event organized by Tahiri Institute for Middle East Policy  you can watch it here

DWAG’s president will be speaking on Friday evening and Saturday morning at the Amnesty International Annual Gathering: you can watch here

DWAG’s president hosted a facebook livestream on the atrocities currently going on in Sudan. If you missed it, you can find a recording of the livestream here. We urge that you help us share the message on your social media account(s). Together, we can be the voice to bring peace and justice to Sudan!

DWAG was invited to and participated in a demonstration outside the UAE embassy in Washington D.C. The demonstration was hosted this Sunday on the 300th day of the current war in Sudan. The protests main focus was on the UAE’s funding of one of the main perpetrators of genocide in Darfur, the RSF.

On February 12th, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced a bipartisan resolution recognizing the actions of the Rapid Support Forces and allied militia in the Darfur region of Sudan against non-Arab ethnic communities as acts of genocide. While this resolution fails to recognize the atrocities of the SAF, this is a major step forward in getting the United States and the international community to focus its attention on the genocide of the Darfuri people.

A group of five Sudanese organizations have come together to form the Sudan Anti Corruption Alliance. Their goal is to help stop the war by fighting the corruption that has been extremely prevalent in Sudan since the beginning of the totalitarian Al Bashir regime
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On March 6th, after intense pressure from the international community and the UN, the Sudanese government announced that they would begin to allow “specified humanitarian aid” into the country from Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt. This comes after the government had long been preventing international aid from entering as they had been accusing Chad of smuggling supplies to the RSF.

The Swedish ambassador to Sudan, Anna Blok Mazoyer, told Radio Dabanga in an interview that the European Union is prepared to levy more sanctions against companies that support the war in Sudan. This comes after the European Union has already levied sanctions against 6 companies for financing the war.

The United States Department of State spokesperson reaffirmed their call for an end to the war, accountability for those involved in the atrocities, and a democratic transition. The United States, like the EU, plans to continue to levy sanctions against companies who continue to finance the war.

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This Month In Sudan

The war in Sudan has been raging on for the past 11 months and to many, seems unrelenting. Horrific crimes against humanity are being committed by both the RSF and SAF. It is imperative to stay up to date on what is happening in Darfur and Sudan as a whole so we can effectively advocate for justice for the people of Darfur.

Thousands have been forced to flee South Kordofan as the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North launched an attack on the RSF controlled town of Habila. Fighting lasted throughout the weekend. While there have been reports that the SPLM-N has captured the town from the RSF, these claims have not been able to be verified.

Reports of civilians fleeing the West Kordofan capital El Fula, which has been home to many of the displaced people from surrounding towns, have been coming out of Sudan over the past week. Many are fearing rumors of an RSF attack on the SAF controlled capital as much of the region aside from the capital is controlled by the RSF.

Reports have come out that RSF forces are committing attacks in the state of Al-Jazirah on over 50 villages. These raids come as a telecommunications blackout continues over much of the country. There are many reports of killings, arrests, and looting of civilians throughout Al-Jazirah.

Khartoum Bahri, a city north of the capital city of Khartoum, has seen forced evacuations in the northern and eastern areas of the city. These evacuations come as the SAF continues to attack RSF forces in Khartoum since February. The areas forcibly evacuated were already home to many displaced peoples.

RSF forces attacked the town of Habila and surrounding villages in South Kordofan after having pulled out of the area in February. Dozens of people were killed, over 40,000 were forced to flee and 15 women were kidnapped.

Fighting started again between the RSF and SAF in the capital of North Darfur, El Fasher. These clashes occurred near two IDP camps in the city and led to an unidentified number of casualties.

SAF made advances to retake the capital of El Jazirah, Wad Madani, which led to clashes with the RSF. The intense fighting led to the SAF’s retreat to El Managil in the western portion of the state.

SAF is conducting bombings in residential areas in Naeema in the White Nile state. At least one person has been killed and many more have been injured. Reports coming from the region say there are no RSF in the area of the bombings.

 

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What you can do to help

You can always support us by making a donation at https://staging.darfurwomenaction.org/donate/

Send a letter to your representatives in both the house and the senate and urge them to take actions;

Send a letter to the editors of your local  news sources;

Volunteer to become state representative and serve as DWAG leader in your state, educate and mobilize more people to action;

Make sure to join our Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter)  here and follow us if you have yet done so

DWAG strives to mobilize the masses in an effort to press the international community and the government of Sudan to fulfill their obligation toward the people of Darfur. We cannot do this without your support, and that is why we are calling on you to continue standing by our side. Add your voice and speak with us, so together we can mobilize the masses to help the people of Darfur one day experience justice, security, and peace!

Thank you for your time! Have a great rest of your week!

DWAG Team

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The Darfur Women’s Action Group (DWAG) strongly condemns the horrific and indiscriminate attacks that have taken place in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, from Saturday, July 27 to Monday, July 29, 2024. These brutal assaults, carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support

Forces (RSF), have led to the tragic deaths and injuries of at least 97 civilians, targeting essential public infrastructure including hospitals, residential buildings, and places of worship.

 

According to local authorities, the acting Wali (governor) of North Darfur, El Hafiz Bakhit, has described the situation as “a true massacre,” with shells hitting public buildings, hospitals, and mosques. Particularly appalling was the bombardment of the Specialized Hospital for Women and Maternity, which suffered over 10 direct hits, yet remains the only operational hospital in the city. On Monday afternoon, RSF shelling of the Saudi Hospital resulted in the deaths of three

companions of patients, extensive damage to hospital wards, and additional casualties in the nearby Islamic complex, including at least three children. For over eight hours, the citizens of El Fasher endured relentless artillery fire, subsequently leading to the closure of markets and cessation of transportation.

 

The unconscionable violence resulted in the deaths of 97 individuals, including 43 children and 13 women, over three days. This violation of international humanitarian law demands immediate and decisive international action. Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, condemned these “indiscriminate” attacks, stressing that civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals and markets, should never be targeted. However, despite international outcry, effective action to safeguard civilians and restore peace remains insufficient.

 

For the past months, El Fasher has been encircled by armed groups with severe restrictions imposed on movement along key roads out of the city, effectively trapping families within the city. At the same time, a severe lack of humanitarian access and an inability to deliver commercial goods due to insecurity have led to a scarcity of essential services and skyrocketing

costs for food, water, and fuel. As such, the shellings in El Fasher pose a major catastrophe, endangering the lives and well-being of about 750,000 children in the city, and potentially millions more.

 

Since the outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF in April 2023, Sudan has faced unprecedented levels of displacement and humanitarian distress. Over 10 million people have been displaced, with the healthcare system in critical condition due to 88 documented attacks on medical facilities. Vulnerable populations, particularly children, are suffering from severe malnutrition and lack of access to essential medical care. With over 330,000 people facing acute food insecurity in El Fasher, the situation is dire and compounded by restrictions on movement and a severe lack of humanitarian access.

 

We urge the international community to carry out swift and decisive intervention to prevent further atrocities in Darfur. Every hour without resolute action is another hour of suffering for the Sudanese people. We implore the international community to take the following steps to end the suffering and hold criminals responsible:

• Open unhindered humanitarian aid channels across Sudan to reach all those in need
• Urge U.S. leaders and the international community to lead a robust intervention to protect civilians, and to stop ethnic-based killings throughout Sudan
• Hold the regional enablers of the atrocities accountable, including regional and international actors like the U.A.E that are supplying funds and weaponry to the RSF
• Impose targeted sanctions on individuals, such as freezing assets, imposing travel bans sanctioning all businesses associated with the two warring generals in Sudan, and cutting the funding for weapons
• Pursue accountability for those most responsible for past and current genocide crimes, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed in Sudan
• Provide support for women and civil society from historically marginalized Sudanese in order for their voices to be heard at all levels of the decision-making processes regarding solutions to the current crises

The time for condemnation alone is over; now is the time for concerted and meaningful intervention.

Thank you for your continued support! Stay tuned for more opportunities to take action. With Gratitude,

Niemat Ahmadi, DWAG president

And DWAG team

 

Today, on World Humanitarian Day, Darfur Women Action Group (DWAG) would like to draw attention to the worst humanitarian crises in Sudan and stand in solemn recognition of the courageous efforts of humanitarian workers around the globe, particularly those risking their lives in the conflict zones of Sudan. We wish to take this opportunity to call on the United Nations Security Council to make the protection of civilians and the protection of humanitarian workers in conflict zones, particularly in Sudan, an urgent priority. DWAG would also like to recognize the locally based Sudanese volunteers who have become front-line humanitarian workers without preparation or protection,  fiercely delivering aid and helping their communities survive every day.  Many have been killed, wounded, and prosecuted simply because of their life-saving work and they must be protected.

 

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is a stark reminder that the international community’s commitment to protecting civilians and providing life-saving assistance must be unwavering. Across Sudan, around 25 million people— over half the country’s population— urgently need humanitarian assistance, with 48% of them being children. For many, humanitarian workers are their last hope. Yet, humanitarian access has been severely compromised by ongoing violence,  targeted attacks on aid workers, and famine that kills every day. The deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war, flooding that obstructs escape routes, and blockades of major supply lines into besieged cities such as El Fasher have escalated the suffering of millions.

 

The ongoing conflict, now 16 months long, has devastated civilian infrastructure. Over 75% of health facilities in conflict-affected states are non-functional, and since April 2023, 88 attacks on healthcare—including workers, facilities, and ambulances—have resulted in at least 55 deaths and 104 injuries. In Darfur, women flee hundreds of miles seeking safety from sexual violence, parents despair as they struggle to feed their children, and children are forced to leave home to escape indiscriminate shelling amidst intense flooding because even the refugee camps are under attack.

 

In 2023, Sudan became the second most dangerous place in the world for humanitarians, with at least 22 aid workers killed. The situation in Sudan is dire. Humanitarian workers in the region are facing unprecedented challenges as they strive to deliver aid amidst escalating violence and systemic obstruction. Despite these hurdles, they continue to serve those in need with extraordinary courage and dedication, stepping up where the international community has failed. Their efforts are critical, but they cannot replace the need for urgent, decisive action from global leaders to address the root causes of this crisis and ensure that humanitarian aid reaches all those in need. It is our leaders’ duty to uphold international humanitarian laws and serious measures for their protection worldwide— today and every day.

 

DWAG stands firmly by humanitarian workers and the people whose suffering they alleviate. To continue their life-saving work, they need not just our support, but yours as well. It is clear that much more funding is needed for humanitarian assistance. It is also clear that, no matter what, DWAG will continue to raise awareness of the conflict in Sudan and amplify the voices of the afflicted as warring parties try to silence them through killings, rape, starvation, and intimidation.

 

Thanks to our donors and supporters, our DWAG team in Sudan has been able to distribute life-saving emergency relief to refugees arriving in South Sudan. We will continue to deliver assistance where we can to vulnerable people in Darfur. We will not stand back in the face of horrifying death and suffering. The world cannot afford to turn a blind eye— keep your eyes on Sudan!

 

Thank you for your continued support. Stay tuned for more updates and opportunities to take action.

 

With Gratitude,

Niemat Ahmadi, DWAG President

The DWAG Team